Discarded
by Kukapetal
Summary: Takes place immediately after the "Rhinestone Eyes" storyboard.  Noodle and her bandmates are engaged in a fierce battle to protect Plastic Beach.  But when the smoke clears, not everyone has made it out.  What will happen to the ones left behind?
1. Prologue:  The Battle

**Prologue: The Battle**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gorillaz. If I did, you can bet I wouldn't be living in a crappy apartment with heat that doesn't work :P**

There hadn't been much time to catch up. She and Russel had finally made it back to their former bandmates just in time to take part in a battle. A battle that she knew next to nothing about, but one which she was already a part of. Those pirates had attacked her ship, after all, and now they were attacking her friends. Or Murdoc, at least, since 2D was nowhere to be seen. Where was he? She had missed him almost as much as she had missed Russel, and she wanted to see him. She had missed all of them terribly. It was even good to see Murdoc's glowering face.

She still had so many questions…why was Murdoc out here, how had Murdoc managed to release a new album without the rest of them, where was 2D, why had Kong Studios burned to the ground, why hadn't any of them tried to find her in all the time she had been missing…but all those questions had paled beside the one that came to her lips when she saw the slender figure standing on the beach beside the rest of Murdoc's crew. A young woman her size who wore her face and looked at her with her own eyes.

"How…how can this be?" It was _her_, and yet…it couldn't be. "I don't understand…" She looked at Murdoc, at a loss for the first time in her life.

"Doll, I can explain!" he said to her, and although he sounded nervous when he said it, there wasn't a trace of it on his face. He wore a look she had rarely seen on his face before, a look of disbelief, of hope, of…_happiness. _She could almost believe he was glad to see her. "She's a cyborg, a robot, and I know…I know it looks bad right now, but she's on our side, Love. Promise!"

Noodle could only look at her robotic replacement. It was grinning at her, one eye twitching slightly as if it had a tic, and it held a gun in each hand with an easy familiarity that Noodle herself knew well. She couldn't help but wonder how good of a copy it was. She assumed it had taken over her guitarist duties (that was one question answered, anyway), but could it also mimic her Super Soldier abilities? It was obvious from the weapons and the bullet hole glinting in the robot's forehead that it had seen combat, but that didn't mean it had her skill. Unless whoever had built it was familiar with all the training she had gone through in her childhood, she doubted that it could come close to her own abilities. Still, she'd make sure she didn't turn her back on the thing. That smile unnerved her, and it was due to more than its artificiality. The cyborg almost seemed _delighted _to see her, with that huge grin. It was _leaking_ too, with viscous clear fluid running out of its nose and its twitching right eye. Not really wanting to look at it any longer, she put it out of her direct line of sight (but not out of her vision completely-she was no fool) and leapt lightly down from Russel's mouth to face Murdoc.

"We'll discuss it later," she said simply to him. His eyes were wary, and strangely exhausted, but they still mostly looked glad to see her. It was truly strange, but in a way, it was the most optimistic homecoming she could have hoped for. The leader of the band, the one who was in it all for himself, and who looked at everyone around him as nothing more than pawns to further his own happiness, had missed her. If such a thing was possible, then perhaps everything else would find a way to work itself out. Somehow.

"Where is-?" she started to say, but was drowned out by Russel's shout of "INCOMING!" Before she could even look up to see what was headed toward them, Russel's huge hand came down on top of her, shutting out the light and muffling the sounds of the battle as it pressed her gently into the sand.

She gripped her gun, but could do nothing but listen to the faint sounds of combat while Russel held her down. She heard the sound of machine gun fire, then what sounded like a muffled explosion far off. Russel's hand shifted and light crept into her makeshift shelter as the drummer apparently leaned over to strike at something. She heard shouting, then another explosion, this time coming from right overhead.

A moment later, Russel let her up. Blinking at the return of the sunlight, she got up, her gun at the ready, trying to look every whichway for attackers. She saw that there was a column of smoke from a downed plane nearby in the water, and another plume of smoke curling up from Murdoc's recording studio, although whatever damage there was was out of her line of sight.

"That was a close one, Baby Girl," said Russel, scanning the sky for more signs of trouble. "Didn't know they had missiles on them planes. Keep close to me, okay?"

She wanted to tell him that she could take care of herself, that she wasn't a child anymore, but now wasn't the time. Instead, she turned to Murdoc, who was looking at his now smoking recording studio with horror. She noticed that the rest of the crowd had dispersed during the attack, including the cyborg, which didn't sit well with her, since she didn't like not knowing where it was. She hoped Russel would watch her back.

"Murdoc, who are they?" she said, taking him by the shoulders and turning him gently to face her. "Why are they attacking you?"

He almost seemed to have forgotten about her. "My studio…all that work…this was gonna be my new beginning." He looked past her to glare out at the horizon. "_Sod _that bloody monster! " He pushed past Noodle to scream out at the sea. "You hear that? Sod you, you dammed freak! You aren't taking me no matter what you do! To hell with you, the deal, and the whole bloody business! Fuck you and the donkey you rode in on! You hear that? Fuck you to-"

"Murdoc!" she snapped at him, afraid that he had completely lost his senses. But when he turned back around to face her, there was no trace of madness in his eyes. Only anger and…was that _fear? _She had never seen the bass player look afraid before. Seeing that look in his eyes almost sapped her own courage, but then she forced herself to regather it. "Murdoc, how do we stop them?"

He looked at her as if she had suggested the impossible. "Stop them? Oh no, we ain't stopping them, Kid. We're getting the fuck out of here. Right now. I already sent the others down to get the subs ready. You hear that? We got subs! Mine's shaped like a shark! You're gonna love it. I'll give you the co-pilot's seat, or whatever the hell they call it in the Navy." He was babbling, sounding like he had forgotten her age and was trying to entice a ten year old kid to follow him with promises of bells and whistles. "So let's blow this bloody dump. But before we go, I got a little going away present for that freak." Murdoc grinned out at the water, and some of his old mischievousness returned to his eyes.

Noodle felt strangely compelled to argue. She hated the thought of running from a fight and letting the enemy take what was yours, although she didn't know why she felt so strongly. Some part of her Super Soldier training perhaps. But mostly, she didn't want to let Murdoc's new studio get leveled. Blast it, despite everything that had happened, she still felt tenderness toward him, and she didn't want to see something he loved get destroyed. Not if she could help it. "Do we have to?" she started to say, but was cut off by a voice from down the beach.

"NOODLE!" She looked over and there was 2D, running toward her as fast as his long legs could carry him.

She had just enough time to put down her gun (didn't exactly want to have that waving around while her old friend manhandled her) and then 2D's arms were around her, and she was lifted off her feet into hem.

"Oh Noods," she heard him say in his high, Cockney voice. "I knew you were alive. All this time, I just knew it!"

_Then why didn't you look for me?_ came a small voice in her mind, but it was mostly drowned out by her own joy at seeing the singer again. She threw her own arms around him. "Of course, 2D-san," she said softly. "I can take care of myself, and I can always find my way back home." She lifted her eyes to meet his and smiled at him.

"What're you doing out of your room, Faceache?" snarled Murdoc. Noodle saw that Murdoc didn't look very happy at seeing 2D, but then, he never did.

"Whale attacked me," said 2D, setting Noodle back down and turning to Murdoc. "I thought you said that he wouldn't so long as I stayed in the room!" 2D's voice had risen in his characteristic whine, and Murdoc clenched his teeth in irritation.

"Well, you obviously left the room, so it's no wonder he attacked you, you damned idiot! Don't come crying to me if you can't follow simple instructions!"

"No, no, I hadn't left the room yet!" 2D corrected the bass player, while Noodle began to wonder why on earth 2D had been forced to stay in one room with a whale outside. She knew he was terrified of whales, so why would Murdoc leave him with one? Just another action brought on by Murdoc's sadistic streak? Or had Murdoc been keeping him there against his will?

In fact, now that she looked at him, she saw that he looked positively awful. 2D had always been thin and unkempt, but now he looked absolutely scrawny, and his dark eyes were sunken as if he hadn't slept in days. His once youthful face now faintly showed traces of age lines, and he had a few days worth of dull blue stubble on his face. His skin was paler than she had ever seen it, even during the long cold English winters. He obviously hadn't seen the sun in days either.

She looked at Murdoc, but he wasn't meeting her eyes, instead concentrating on 2D. "-whale was gone!" 2D was saying, as if he were desperately trying to get Murdoc to believe him. "Then, the whole place started shakin', and when I looked up, the door had fallen over. Most of the wall too," he added. "So I came out here, wonderin' what was goin' on, and then I saw planes everywhere, and smoke too, and then I saw Noodle-"

"And me too," added Russel from above her. "Or am I chopped liver?"

2D looked up at him, his face wrinkled in confusion. He honestly seemed to see the giant looming over them for the first time. "Russel!" he shouted. "You got….bigger!"

"Nah, he just gained more weight," grumped Murdoc. "He's always been good at that."

Before Russel could reply, they all hear the whine of an approaching plane. It seemed their attackers weren't going to let them have their little reunion in peace.

"Shit, we gotta get to the subs!" said Murdoc, gesturing further down the beach. "Come on, let's move! Russel, you're just gonna have to swim!" Murdoc added, seeing as how Russel obviously couldn't fit into a sub. "Let's get out of here before they turn this place into World War III!"

"No wait!" shouted Noodle, trying to make herself heard over the drone of the approaching plane engines. ""We can stop them! We've got a crew of submarines, a cyborg, a giant, and a Super Soldier!" she said pointed out. "We should be more than a match for pirates!" If that's what they were anyway.

"Darlin', they aren't ordinary pirates," said Murdoc. That odd fear was back in his eyes. "At least, not anymore. Their leader…"

"Their leader!" interrupted Noodle, an idea coming clear. She turned toward the sea and moved down the beach a bit so she could see around Russel. Just as she thought, there was a wooden pirate ship out in the harbor. "That ship's not too far away. If we can get out there, we can take out the captain!" she told them. "Once the captain's gone, the others will probably retreat!"

"No!" snapped Murdoc, and his eyes forbade argument. "You are not going NEAR that ship. Not you, not me, not anyone. There's a boogieman out there, and I am through tangling with it. If it wants this place, it can have it! WE, on the other hand, are getting the bloody hell OUT of here!"

Noodle turned back toward Murdoc. Perhaps her original thought about his sanity slipping hadn't been that far off. Murdoc thought the Boogieman was out there? She had lived in the West long enough to have been introduced to the idea of the "Boogieman," and although her own culture had no such creature in its myths, it did have its own share of creepy-crawlies who played a similar role, so she understood the concept. It was a concept to frighten children, and she didn't think a devout Satanist who had lived in a studio crawling with zombies and used to have a ghost performing in his band with him would be afraid of such things.

"Murdoc, there are no "boogiemen!" she told him, sounding like a stern mother. "The only thing that's out there is the captain of the ship, and I know that I can handle him. I spent my whole childhood being trained for situations like this. All we have to do is-"

"But Noodle," 2D cut in hesitantly. "It really IS the Boogieman. I saw it."

Murdoc whirled around to face 2D. "You saw it, D?"

2D nodded. "Yeah, right before the whale attacked. It was swimmin' under the water toward the ship. Had on a mask and a black cape and everything."

That gave her pause. Not that 2D was any more of a reliable witness than Murdoc, but taken together, it did raise the notion that maybe there was something out of the ordinary out there. Still, she doubted it was actually a childhood closet monster. And she had faced real monsters before, and had made short work of them. Man or monster, whatever it was, she was sure she could take it and save Murdoc's island. Heck, maybe the bass player would even finally see her worth and know that a cyborg would never be a proper replacement.

"Whatever it is, I will take it out," she told the two of them."

"NO!" Murdoc said again. "I'm not sending you out there against that thing!"

He seemed just as surprised that he had said it as she was that she had heard it. He _did _care. She tried to hide her grin and shook her head at him. Her desire to fight for his island had just become unshakable.

He had his hand over his mouth, as if he wished he could take the words back. He probably did wish that, actually. She knew that Murdoc did not like anyone to know that he held affection for anyone or anything. And that was enough of a weakness for her to exploit.

"Surely you don't mean that, Murdoc-san," she said to him coyly. "What does it matter to you if I get blown up, huh? You've already got a replacement lined up, after all."

It worked. He flushed slightly in embarrassment, and then his eyes hardened. A moment later he was in full damage control mode. "Don't be stupid," he growled at her. That's not the reason. I just don't want to lose such a good guitarist. The cyborg….she really can't hold a candle to you. Doesn't have your creativity and…stuff…and…oh sod it! You want to go out there, go out there! I ain't standing in your way. There are other guitarists! Knock yourself out, Love!" he turned his back on the rest of them.

She nodded to his back. "Thank you, Murdoc-san. Now…"

"But if you do go, I want you to take the cyborg with you," he interrupted.

She hadn't been expecting that. "What? No!"

The approaching plane engine got louder and changed in pitch. She looked up to see the fighter plane diving toward the island.

"If you guys are gonna go out there and fight this guy, I think you'd better get moving," said Russel. "We ain't got much time left." He readied his hand to bring down on Noodle again. 2D looked nervous and reached for his switchblade in his back pants pocket, giving Noodle a sudden mental picture of a knight attempting to fight a dragon with a toothpick. Murdoc pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt and muttered something into it.

An instant later she heard the sound of machine gun fire and Russel's hand came down on top of her again. Once more, she waited the sounds of the battle out while squashed between Russel's hand and the sand below her. Except, it didn't really feel like sand, she finally noticed. It felt more like squishy ground. Not mud; it was much firmer than that, but it didn't feel like real land at all…it had too much give to it. And it _stank…_

Russel finally let her up. She saw the smoke from another downed plane in the water, this time a bit further out. Russel lifted the hand that had been shielding her and rubbed at his cheek, which had a line of red dots on it.

"Damn, that stings," was all he said.

Noodle looked over at Murdoc and saw that the Cyborg had joined him on the beach. She started to protest again, but Murdoc silenced her with a wave of his hand. "You're taking her," was all he said. "You'll need backup if you're going on that ship. It's crawling with pirates. Don't argue with me," he said, when she still looked inclined to. "This will make it go faster. You're a good fighter, Love, so can you imagine how it will go with TWO of you out there? The Boogieman won't know what hit him!"

She almost smiled at that, not for the praise, but for the fact that she could tell he was trying the same psychological trick on her as she had recently used on him. Given that she could still hear the sounds of planes in the distance, she knew they didn't have time to argue. "All right, she said, picking her gun back up. "But let's hurry!" she didn't like the idea of Russel being turned into Swiss cheese bit by bit.

"Why don't you just have Russel swim out there and smash the ship?" asked 2D. He was rubbing his head slightly. Perhaps the noise was aggravating his headaches. She certainly hoped that Murdoc had allowed him to have his meds out here.

"Because he could never get near enough to the ship to attack without them seeing him," Noodle told 2D. "All the planes would attack him as soon as they saw him trying. He's too vulnerable in the deep water. He can't raise his hands out of the water to hit the planes if he needs them for swimming."

2D looked like much of that explanation had sailed over his head, but he nodded dully, still rubbing his left temple with one hand and fingering his switchblade with the other. "Besides," Murdoc cut in. "I need him here near the island! Those planes'll blow this place sky-high if he's not there to knock 'em out of the sky!"

Russel looked annoyed. "Muds, I ain't your own personal King Kong. I was protecting Noodle before, 'sall. You reformed the band and replaced me with a drum machine! Now you want me to climb out of the water and swat at planes for you like the monster in some bad Japanese movie? No offense," he said, nodding to Noodle.

"None taken," she said simply. She had outgrown Godzilla and Gamera and all the rest quite a while ago.

"You'd better not climb out of the damn water," said Murdoc, glaring at the drummer. "The island won't take the weight. It's made out of rubbish, you know. Your fat ass'll sink it and there'll go my studio!"

Noodle looked down at the ground below her feet with interest, and saw that Murdoc was indeed telling the truth. They stood on a substrate made of soggy paper and junked appliances and empty plastic bottles and who knew what else. The island was a floating landfill. She'd heard about such places, where the sea currents brought trash and other debris together in huge floating rafts, but only Murdoc would be crazy enough to try and live on top of one. She looked up at Murdoc and shook her head. Her desire to save this place seemed slightly less noble now that she knew it was a giant garbage heap.

Murdoc was saying something to the Cyborg. He turned and gestured toward Noodle. The cyborg also turned and looked at her, still wearing that unnerving grin. "Go with Noodle, Love," said Murdoc to the robot. So he called it by one of her nicknames, did he? "Cover her once you two get onto the ship. And when you see the Boogieman, shoot him. Just like you did before, remember? Only don't miss this time."

The cyborg kept looking at her, one eye still twitching. "Noodle," was all it said, in a voice that sounded uncannily like her own. It moved to stand beside her.

Murdoc shook his head, as if in apology. "Sorry she ain't working so good right now," he told Noodle. "She got shot earlier, as I'm sure you can see, and I haven't had time to fix her. She knows what to do though. Now," he looked up as the sounds of the plane engines approached again. Following his gaze, Noodle saw three planes above them, all approaching from different angles. Russel would have a hard time repelling them all. "You'd better get going," Murdoc finished.

Noodle hurried toward Russel. The drummer was looking at her with open concern. "You know I don't like this any more than-" Russel looked at over at Murdoc and his suddenly murderous expression. "-any of the rest of us do," he finished. "But I also know your mind's made up, and we don't have time to argue. So I'll get you two to the ship as fast as I can. But be careful." With that, he lowered his head to the beach and opened his mouth. Noodle and her robotic counterpart climbed inside.

"Here," shouted Murdoc from behind her. She turned around in time to catch the walkie-talkie that he had thrown at her. "Let me know when Russel is about to get you aboard the ship. I'll send my special "weapon" to help you out."

"Special weapon?" asked Noodle.

"An Evangelist," replied Murdoc. "Met him on the beach one night, after a couple of pints. Well, maybe _more_ than a couple. Thought I was so pissed I was imagining things…cause he was the strangest looking bloke I've ever met. But he was real enough. And what better way to defeat a Boogieman than with some holy roller? Creepy fucker won't know what hit him. Now go on!"

Russel's mouth closed around her, shutting out the sight of her friends.

As she felt Russel start moving, she turned toward the cyborg, even though it was too dark inside Russel's mouth so see it clearly. "If Russel is going to do what I think he's going to do, be prepared to get wet. And for a long drop. But once we're in the air, we're going to be vulnerable. I'm going to try and get the Boo-, uh, the captain as soon as I can see him, but I need you to back me up. Take out any other pirates that might start shooting at us."

"Noodle," was all it said. She hoped it understood.

She felt Russel stop moving, then felt his head begin to move downward. "Get ready," she told the cyborg.

Russel's mouth opened, and sea water began flooding in. Noodle held her breath and tried to hold the walkie-talkie out of the worst of it. She knew this would only last for a moment, and then-

Russel's mouth closed, trapping them in the dark water. Then it opened again, light flooding back in from an "O" shaped window in his lips. And then Noodle and the cyborg were moving upwards, out of his mouth in a fountain of water. There was water and foam all around her, but she was airborne, and she could see the pirate ship below her. She raised the walkie-talkie to her mouth, hoping it still worked.

"NOW, MURDOC!" she shouted. Then, in one quick motion, she stuck it into the top of one of her leggings, and then pulled out her gun. With her other hand, she pulled the cat mask down over her face.

The masts and rigging loomed in her sight as she dropped toward the wooden ship. There was a single pirate in lookout spot, a scruffy man whose eyes grew huge as he saw her falling toward him. He opened his mouth, but she took him out with a spray of bullets before he could sound an alarm. Reaching out with her free hand, she grabbed the rigging beside the mast and used it to swing one handedly into the crow's nest. Below her, pirates were shouting and scattering from the cyborg's gunfire, and a second later she saw it fall past her. It hit the deck of the ship with a loud _THUNK_, but was on its feet in an instant, guns blazing.

Noodle scanned the ship from her perch, looking for the captain, and soon spotted a black cloaked figure, similar to the one 2D had described, toward the front of the ship. She raised her gun and took aim at it, then fired.

Its head whirled around at the sound of the gunfire, and she saw it move impossibly fast, dodging out of the way. Her shot hit the wooden deck harmlessly a second later.

Swallowing a curse, she tucked her gun under her arm and seized the mast. She half climbed down it like a monkey, half slid down it like a fireman, trying to ignore the splinters that worked their way into her hands as she did so.

As soon as her feet touched the deck, she pulled out the gun again, scanning every direction for attackers. The cyborg had scattered most of the pirates, but that didn't mean it was safe. She looked in the direction the masked figure had gone, determined to go after it as soon as she could do so safely.

"Hey, Little Lady," came a voice from her right.

She whirled around and saw a pirate wearing a little sailor hat and missing most of his teeth leering at her. She raised her gun and blasted him with a stream of bullets. He disappeared into a puff of black smoke.

_He…he wasn't real? _Even as her mind tried to make sense of what she had seen, she heard something rushing towards her from the other direction. She whirled around and started shooting. The black cloaked figure broke off its charge toward her and dodged behind a pile of crates.

"Get back here!" she shouted at it, making as if to go around the side of the crates after it.

It leapt lightly over the top of the crates, coming for her from above, as she had known it would. She fired.

She was just an instant too slow. The bullet blasted a hole though its cape. It landed on the deck in front of her, tall and imposing in its black clothes, and she saw that it indeed wore a mask, just as 2D had said. Some sort of gasmask with wide staring red eyes. She tried to get her gun up to fire at it, but it whipped its long arms up over its head, its boney, clawed fingers spread wide. An instant later, she was surrounded by thick black smoke.

_It really is a monster…_ She started firing wildly into the black smoke, no longer even trying to hit the creature, just trying to keep it back. She tried not to cough in the thick black gloom. Her eyes watered fiercely. _It IS the Boogieman! I'm-_

Bright white light filled her vision.

For a moment, for just a quick cold instant, Noodle thought she had been killed. Then both the light, and the black smoke drew back, and she found herself still standing on the deck of the pirate ship. The masked monster had fallen back, the smoke pulling in around it protectively, and she saw that the white light was concentrated in a strong beam that was slowly but surely pushing the smoke inward. Looking up, Noodle followed the beam of light to its source, a shining figure high above the ship, standing on what looked to be the crest of a tall, stationary wave.

Noodle blinked, barely believing what she was seeing. The figure, probably the "Evangelist" that Murdoc had been talking about, had a fishbowl for a head.

She fought the urge to rub her eyes. She blinked instead….once…twice…but it didn't change. Its head really was a fishbowl.

And the rest of the figure wasn't any less strange. Inside the fishbowl, four wide eyes and a set of disembodied teeth peeked out from among a mass of swirling kelp, swimming fish, and what looked like octopus tentacles. More of the tentacles and kelp protruded out the top of the fishbowl, waving in the wind like some strange mohawk. The rest of the creature's body was humanoid, although it was long and lanky and covered with red veins. Despite its strange body, its clothes were surprisingly normal, consisting of a white shirt with an "E" on it, a pair of low-riding shorts, and a set of rain boots. Two green, one-eyed octopuses clung to it, one on each arm.

"Begone, Demon from the Abyss!" it shouted in a burbling voice, reminding Noodle of the sound of an air filter in a fish tank. "Be gone, and do not trouble the righteous anymore with your trickery and empty promises!"

Noodle almost balked. Righteous? Did this…thing…even know who it was working for?

The shining figure raised what looked like a water gun and took good aim at the masked creature still standing in front of her. It squeezed the trigger and there was one more mighty push of white light. The black smoke pulled even further inward, paused, then faded completely away, leaving the black masked figure leaning heavily on the ship's railing, as though all its strength had left it.

Gunfire came from her left. The black caped creature had time to jerk its head toward the sound, and that was it. Bullets peppered the air around it, and Noodle heard the unmistakable sound of them hitting flesh. Ichor splattered from the creature's torso and then it was tumbling silently over the side of the ship, into the water below.

The cyborg walked up to stand beside her, smoke still trailing from the barrels of its twin guns. She almost though it looked pleased with itself as it gazed at the railing over which its target had fallen.

_That's it…it's over. We did it. _Or rather, they did it, since all Noodle herself did was shoot a couple of smoke pirates. After that whole production she'd made on the beach, she hadn't even done anything to defeat their adversary. Instead, the threat had been vanquished by the cyborg and some strange monster with a fishbowl for a head.

But now was not the time for self-pity. She could see that there were still planes circling Plastic Beach, and there was more smoke coming from the island. The attack was still on for now. Maybe it would take the rest of the pirates a moment to realize that their leader was no more. She hoped Murdoc and 2D were all right, and that Russel could get back in time to help them, as he was still in the water near the ship. Deciding she had better let them know of the situation out at sea, she pulled the walkie-talkie out of her legging and pressed the "Talk" button.

"Murdoc, this is Noodle," she said into the device. "Do you read me? We defeated your "Boogieman," so if you can just hold out-"

A hand clamped down on her wrist, holding it in an unshakable iron grip. The walkie-talkie fell from her hand and broke into pieces on the deck.

The cyborg looked at her with those wild, leaking eyes. It grinned at her. "Noodle," it said.

Noodle went for her gun with her free hand, but it was much too late.

The cyborg seized the gun from her and threw it away. Noodle felt herself slammed into the ship's railing. Her mask came loose and fell from her face, landing at her feet. The cyborg grinned at her maddeningly.

"I'm Noodle," it said.

And then she was falling, falling from the side of the ship to join the Boogieman in the foamy waters below.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

When things went wrong, they went very wrong very quickly. That's how Murdoc saw it.

He had gotten 2D to their submarine as soon as Russel had left the beach. Without the drummer there, they were hideously vulnerable, and the pilots of those planes knew it. If they were going to trash his island, Murdoc wanted to be nowhere near it. Already the studio had taken several more hits, and he knew that even if they did manage to save it, it was going to need major repairs. Still, it would be good to be rid of the Boogieman, even if the price was Plastic Beach.

_And Noodle? _

Murdoc tried to ignore his subconscious. The bloody girl had WANTED to go out there and fight the Boogieman. He had told her not to go, had even embarrassed himself practically pleading with her not to do so, but she had been insistent. _It's her own fault if she gets it, trying to be a damn hero. Who the hell asked her? _Still, he had been reluctant to get in the sub once he reached it, knowing that it would be difficult to keep tabs on the battle once he was inside. Instead, he lingered by the hatch, ready to jump inside at the first sign of danger.

From his post, he saw Russel rise out of the water. Saw him spit of stream of water directly at the ship. Saw two black specks contained within the water, falling toward the ship. Heard his walkie-talkie crackle to life.

"NOW MURDOC!" came Noodle's voice.

Murdoc immediately seized a smaller walkie-talkie that was clipped to his belt. One that was tuned to a different frequency, with a different audience. ""NOW!" he shouted into it. "Get your holy ass out to that ship on the double!"

"Murdoc?" came 2Ds hesitant voice. "What about Noodle? Think she's all right?"

Murdoc rounded on the singer, a clueless pain in the ass if ever there was one. "How the bloody hell do you expect me to know, Faceache? They just got sent out there. I ain't watching the battle on a wide-screen TV, you know!"

2D flinched at his tone and raised his hands to rub his temples again. Must have had a migraine. Good. Maybe the pain would keep him quiet. "Just get in the sub," said Murdoc. "We may need to get out of here quickly, so be ready."

As 2D obeyed him, Murdoc took out his nautical telescope. Just as he had pulled it to its full length, a blinding white light exploded out of the sea in front of the pirate ship.

Murdoc focused his telescope on the thing. It resolved itself into the Evangelist standing on top of a huge tidal wave. _Nice touch, you crazy nut. _Using such tactics had never been his style, but he was desperate, and if the freak accomplished the job he was hired to do, then Murdoc considered it worth the embarrassment. He watched as the Evangelist raised his gun, took aim at something on the ship, and fired a beam of white light at his target.

_Shit, Noodle, be careful. _He didn't know how good the Evangelist's aim was, or if the "magic" he was using could harm people other than demons. He didn't want his guitarist roasted by mistake. Not when she had just found her way back to him…

The Evangelist continued to blast the beam for a few seconds more, then stopped. Lowering the gun, he let the wave dissipate and disappeared back into the sea.

Murdoc's walkie-talkie crackled to life again. "Murdoc, this is Noodle!" came a familiar voice. "Do you read me? We defeated your Boogieman, so if you can just hold out-"

The walkie-talkie went dead.

Murdoc pressed the "Talk" button. "Noodle, do you read me?" Silence. He tried again. "Come in Noodle!" No reply. "Noodle!" he shouted into the device.

Nothing.

And then, out at sea, he saw Russel strike out toward the ship at a frantic pace. He made for it like he was going to plow right through it, and Murdoc felt his stomach sink. Whatever had happened out there, it had pissed Russel right the hell off. And Russel didn't get angry easily.

Unless you hurt his "baby girl."

"Shit," Murdoc said, under his breath. "Shit! Noodle!"

He saw Russel reach the ship and bring up his fist, and just as he brought it down on the ship, the Evangelist appeared on a wave on the other side of the ship, raised his gun, and white light enveloped Russel.

"NO!" Murdoc screamed. The pirate ship shattered in two, but Russel froze where he was, the white light holding him in place. "No, stop it!" Murdoc shouted into the other walkie-talkie. "Russel's on our side, you goddamn bloody idiot! Stop it!"

But the Evangelist didn't stop. Perhaps he didn't have the walkie-talkie with him anymore. Perhaps he was too caught up in the moment. Perhaps he had never been on Murdoc's side in the first place. Whatever the reason, he kept the white light on Russel, and Russel began to shrink.

"What-" Murdoc began, but whatever else he had been planning to say died out as Russel shrank into a tiny speck and dropped into the water like a stone. And as he did, the two halves of the now wrecked pirate ship began to sink.

"Fuck!" said Murdoc. Things had gone to hell in a handbasket in a span of five minutes. "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck," he said under his breath as he leapt for the hatch of the submarine. He pulled himself inside, shut the hatch, and threw himself at the captain's seat.

"Murdoc?" came 2D's voice. "Murdoc, what happened?"

"Shut up, Faceache!" he screamed. "Just shut the hell up!" Murdoc flicked the switch on the control panel that operated the radio he used to communicate with the other subs. "Guys, we have an emergency! The Evangelist just shrunk Russel to normal size and dropped him into the sea, and the pirate ship is sinking, and Noodle and the cyborg are still on it. Everyone get your asses out there and find them!" He kept the radio on so he could keep in contact with the others and said over his shoulder: "That answer your question, D?" There was no reply from 2D, and Murdoc didn't wait for one. He started working the sub's controls to take it out into the sea after his crew and search for his missing bandmates himself.

The sub glided past heaps of rusted, disintegrating cars and other rubbish as Murdoc guided it away from the island and out toward the sinking pirate ship. He saw the shapes of the other subs around them, all converging on the same spot. The radio occasionally relayed some chatter as the other crewmembers communicated with him and with each other. Then, to his relief, he heard one of them report that he had found Russel, and they were bringing him aboard. _One down, two to go…_ thought Murdoc as he brought his sub as close to the two sinking halves of the pirate ship as he could while staying safe from the suction. Just as it surfaced, he felt something hit the top of it lightly. He brought up the periscope and was greeted with the cyborg's face grinning at him.

"D, open the hatch!" he told the singer. "Cyborg's out there. Let her in." 2D quickly obeyed, and Murdoc heard a clang as the hatch opened, then a thunk as the cyborg joined them inside. As 2D closed the hatch, he turned toward his creation to ask where the real Noodle was. And then found that he didn't need to.

"Love," he choked out, staring down the barrels of the two guns she was pointing at them. "Love, what have you done?" His eyes moved from the guns to the familiar cat mask that was dangling by its string from her right hand. "Where's Noodle?" he asked anyway, even though he knew.

"I'm Noodle," said the cyborg.

She smiled at them.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Noodle pulled herself to the surface of the water. She was at the base of the pirate ship. There was nothing to hang onto. She'd been pushed into the water by the cyborg. She didn't have her gun. She'd been on her way to Plastic Beach to see her friends. One by one, individual thoughts flashed through her mind as she tried to make sense of the situation. Then, she felt the water lurch around her, and saw Russel moving toward the ship, and everything came clear again.

Russel had seen.

And Russel was coming to save her.

The drummer reached the ship and brought his fist up into the air, then down on it. Just as he smashed the ship, Noodle heard gunfire from above her. Looking up, she saw that the cyborg was firing at her. The shock from Russel breaking the ship, however, knocked the cyborg sideways, and its shots went wild. Noodle dived under the water, trying to get out of its sight before it recovered and tried its luck again. When she finally surfaced, she was greeted by a white light enveloping Russel.

_The Evangelist!_ What was he doing? Was he on the cyborg's side? As she watched, horrified, Russel shrank back to his normal size and dropped into the water.

"Russel!" she shouted, swimming in the direction he had fallen. In her panic, she forgot about the cyborg, and that turned out to be a bad mistake.

The gunfire came again from behind her. Relying solely on instinct, Noodle dove below the surface again. Bullets entered the water all around her, but she didn't feel anything hit her. Thanking her lucky stars, she made for the surface again, but felt something pulling her back. The water began to churn all around her as she felt something sucking her back toward the ship. Back and _down._

_The suction's got me! _She struggled, but her muscles were no match for the current. It pulled her down into the darkness. _I'm going to die. _She finally decided to face the inevitable and stopped struggling, surrendering herself to the current.

She was pulled down faster amid a sea of bubbles and then suddenly she felt herself being pushed out and up. She found herself moving toward the surface with as great a speed as she had been pulled away from it. She broke the surface and filled her lungs with life-giving air. She groped all around her for something to hang onto as the stars began to clear from her vision. As she seized a piece of floating wreckage, her vision came clear and she saw that she was floating quite aways away from where the ship had gone down. The current had sucked her down, and then spat her back up again.

The ship was gone. It had sunk. But in the water where it had been, she could see a series of long sleek humps break the surface. It took her a moment to realize that she was seeing the submarine army that was in Murdoc's service. Squinting, she could make out a large shape on the top of a yellowish submarine. There were two figures up there, trying to help the shape stand up, and as they did, she saw that it was Russel.

Thanking the heavens that he was all right, she shouted and waved her arm at the people on top of the sub, but she was too far away for them to hear her and she could only watch as they brought Russel inside and closed the hatch. She looked at the other subs, trying to see if she could get their attention instead, and she noticed a sleek, feminine shape standing on top of one of them.

The cyborg. Even as she watched, the submarine rose higher in the water, and she saw that it was shaped like a fish. No, not a fish. A shark. It was Murdoc's sub! The hatch flipped open and she saw a lanky silhouette emerge. Was it 2D? She wished she had some binoculars or another way to see more clearly. The cyborg didn't seem to acknowledge 2D, and instead jumped inside the sub. 2D returned inside after it, and closed the hatch.

_Oh no…_ 2D and Murdoc likely had no idea that the cyborg was dangerous. And they had just allowed it inside an enclosed space with them, with its guns. And she didn't know if Murdoc could really control the thing. She didn't even know if Murdoc and 2D had any weapons with them with which to defend themselves. She leaned on the piece of wreckage, trying to hoist herself out of the water. She started screaming at the sub, screaming for them to watch out, screaming at the other subs to help them, screaming uselessly for anyone at all to so something, but of course no one could hear her, and soon the subs began to sink back below the water. Small trails of bubbles marked their paths, and as she watched, these trails began to move toward the east, away from Plastic Beach and way from her.

The shark shaped sub still sat there in the water, unmoving. What was going on inside? Murdoc…2D…_Oh guys, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to warn you in time. If only I hadn't let the ship pull me under. _She began to swim frantically toward the sub, using her piece of wreckage as a makeshift kickboard. She was too far away to get there in time to stop anything that might be going on, but she couldn't just float there and stare at the thing while her friends might be being butchered inside. She pushed herself toward the sub with all her might. _I'm coming, guys. Hang on…_

The sub started moving.

Noodle stopped in her tracks, not believing what she was seeing.

The sub slowly sank below the surface as the trail of bubbles it was leaving behind picked up speed. It headed east, after the others. Noodle watched as its wake slowly dissipated, leaving nothing but unmarred ocean in its place.

She was alone.

They had left her.

They had _left_ her.

An explosion came from her right. She looked over feebly and saw that Plastic Beach was in ruins. Apparently the planes had kept bombing merrily away through the whole battle, and they had done their work well. There was nothing left of the studio. And as she watched, one of the planes flew in a close circle around the narrow column that supported the table-like upper part of the island, on which the studio had once rested. She saw it drop a small speck at the base of the column, and moments later she heard the explosion, and watched as the entire thing came down, crashing into the base of the island and sending a huge wave rushing out towards her.

She barely had time to brace herself before the wave was upon her, washing over her and sending her spinning dizzily below the surface. She opened her eyes but all she could see around her was blackness. She wasn't even sure she knew which way was up anymore. She could only wait it out, like she had before, and eventually she found herself rising toward the surface. As she got her head above the water, she heard the sound of the plane engines, fading off into the distance. Were they leaving? Opening her eyes again, she found another piece of floating wreckage and seized hold of it. She rested her face against it, eyes squeezed shut as she held on for dear life and waited for the seas to calm. She wasn't sure she had the strength to do anything else. A low moan came helplessly from her throat.

_They left me…_

The sea finally steadied itself, but it was a long time before Noodle found the strength to open her eyes again. When she did, all was quiet. There was no sign of the pirates, the subs, the Evangelist, or anyone else. It was just her and the remains of Plastic Beach, now a ruined silhouette with the sun going down behind it. She stared at it wearily, wondering if she could even make it back there. It looked so far, and she was so tired…

A small ripple broke the surface of the water beside her.

For a single useless instant, she felt a surge of hope, thinking that it was one of the submarines, come back to rescue her, even though she knew it was much too small of a ripple to be made by something that size. Then a purple jellyfish bobbed to the surface, smiling serenely at her.

She looked at it dumbly. It was a "Superfast Jellyfish." The candy-colored invertebrates had recently become the world's favorite choice of instant food. She had seen packages of them smiling at her from the shelves of every convenience store and supermarket in recent memory. _This _was the area they were native to? This stinking garbage swill of a sea? She suddenly felt glad that she had never dared to try one. Truthfully, she had found their constant, vapid grins a bit unsettling.

It bobbled a bit in the water, still smiling emptily at her, then slowly began to propel itself in the direction of Plastic Beach.

With nothing else to do, Noodle followed it.


	2. Stranded

**Stranded**

**Just a quick note: Noodle's lullaby is called "Eight Melodies" and comes from the old NES game "Mother," aka "Earthbound Zero." Given the time period it was released in, it is definitely possible that Noodle's parents could have been familiar with this game and therefore used the lullaby for their daughter. Anyway, if you've never heard this lovely song, go check it out on Youtube. The story can wait ;)**

The sun had nearly gone down by the time Noodle reached the remains of Plastic Beach. Seizing something that looked like it may have once been a card table, she pulled herself up out of the deep water (Plastic Beach had a very steep dropoff) and onto the refuse littered "shore," glad that the island itself still seemed to be fairly stable, despite the beating it had taken during the destruction of Murdoc's new recording studio.

_Serves him right. _She tried to suppress the thought and the anger that came with it and concentrated only on getting further up the beach, out of the damp and the waves and the tide (if there was one…she had absolutely no idea of the mechanics of an island made out of garbage). She needed to find a spot where she could get out of the elements, needed to find a place where she could rest and collect herself and figure out what to do next.

Looking further "inland," she saw that, while the studio may have been in ruins, those ruins were still in fairly large pieces, and while some of the ruins still smoldered, most of the fires had burnt themselves out by now, and some of the pieces looked untouched by fire completely. If she could find one that was stable and unburnt, it might make a workable shelter. Perhaps there were even some supplies among the debris. Murdoc had to have gotten his food and water from somewhere while he was hiding out here. Perhaps something had survived.

If not, she still had her pack, at least, and it had a few snacks in it, things she had picked up at a convenience store before boarding the ship that brought her here, just a few quick calories to tide her over if she got hungry, but they might be the only thing she had to keep her alive now. It also, thankfully, had a pair of shoes in it, so she wouldn't have to worry about stepping on broken glass or jagged metal while she went wandering around the floating landfill looking for shelter. She quickly pulled out the white shoes and slipped them on her feet, glad that the waterproof pack had kept them dry. Then she hoisted the pack back onto her shoulders, thankful that she had kept it with her when she had gone into battle (her guitar wasn't so lucky, and was probably lost for good) and headed inland.

Slowly and carefully, she picked her way among the pieces of wreckage that were furthest away from that remained of the fires, looking for one the would keep out the wind without falling over. The weather was still clear, she could tell that by the stars that were now coming out over her head, but there was no guarantee that it would stay that way. She leapt lightly down from a refuse mound , glad that the "ground" here was much firmer and drier than it had been down on the "beach," and headed toward a piece of wall that leaned at an angle against a hill of trash. If it was stable, it might make a decent shelter, as the angle was gentle enough to form a crude roof over her head.

The piece of wall was pinkish and metallic, so it must have been one of the walls from the outside of the building. It didn't budge when she pushed on it from a variety of angles, and stayed put when she scampered up its gently sloping side to the top of the garbage hill. A quick inspection of the top showed that it was wedged into the garbage quite firmly and she could not push it or move it from that angle either. Deciding that it was safe enough, she slid back down the side and crawled underneath it.

It was spacious enough inside that she could stand up fully, and the ground was smooth and hard underneath her feet, as opposed to a spongy mess of garbage. Perhaps another piece of the building was underneath her. There was even a large window down toward where the wall met the ground, and the glass, or plastic, or whatever it was made of, was unbroken. All in all, this little section of toppled wall made an almost perfect shelter.

_At least something is going right. _She sat down beside the window, which was partly buried in the ground along with the wall that contained it, and tapped on it. Plastic. _Just like practically everything else around here… _She set her pack down at her feet and reclined beside the window. From her "bed," she could see all the way down to the beach and the fetid sea beyond. _How luxurious, _she thought wryly. _You sure do have fine taste in tropical resorts, Murdoc. The only thing that's missing from the view is one of those plastic palm trees you had all around the studio. _

She glanced at her pack, thinking about the snacks inside, then gave into temptation and opened it. Inside was a granola bar, two bottles of water, an apple, and five individually wrapped pieces of sting cheese. Looking at the utterly mundane selection of food, she was struck with the memory of purchasing it at the gas station before heading down to board the ship. She had been so excited that she'd hardly noticed what she'd been buying. Just a few things that looked vaguely palatable. She was going to see her friends again, after so long. That had been all that had mattered.

Her hunger disappeared as tears blurred her vision. She slammed the pack shut, forgetting about eating for the time being and tossed it into the corner. She needed to get out of here. She was utterly exhausted, but she needed to get out. Get moving. Get some air. Calm down and clear her mind and then decide what to do.

She climbed out of the shelter and began to pick her way among the piles of refuse, searching for higher ground, for a spot where she could sit and stare out at the sea and calm her mind. She finally located a decent spot near the water, where garbage had formed a cliff of sorts, a sturdy little hill that jutted out over the water, giving her a good view of the ocean while keeping her nice and dry. Reaching the top of it, she sat down between an empty pizza box and a broken baby doll that was missing an eye. _I can relate, Little Sister…_ she thought nonsensically, touching her swollen right eye. Easing herself into the familiar position she assumed when meditating, she took a deep breath, let it out, and gazed out at the horizon.

It was dark enough now that she couldn't see much of anything out there, even if there still was something to see. No smoke from any of the downed planes or sunk ships, no wrecks floating in the water, no submarines…no nothing. Just blackness and emptiness and the sound of a single seagull that was still out at this time of day, and a little _splash _sound as the water must have washed over some obstacle or into a slight eddy below her.

_Why? _The thought came to her unbidden, but she no longer had the strength to push it away. It was just her and the darkness now, and she could no longer run away to a change of scenery to distract herself. _Why, Murdoc? Why 2D? _Why had they done it? She had never thought she had given them reason to. She had thrown her heart and soul into the band, had been the best guitarist she could be for them, had stuck by them at their worst and loved them when they had shown themselves to be quite unlovable. They had never been good caretakers, but she made sure that they didn't need to be. She could take care of herself, and she had, and she had been a part of them, pulling her own weight and more in a friendship…in a _family _that had been the first and only one she'd ever had, and she had been happy. And even after the bad times, even after the helicopters came for her in a botched attempt of Murdoc's to eliminate an enemy, even after she had been separated from them and had gone through Hell and back with no sign they were searching for her or even wondering where she was, she had not held it against them. They were imperfect people, and the world they lived in was not always safe or kind, but she could take care of herself, and she would fight her way back to them, and she had done so, and she had found…

That thing.

That copy.

And they liked it better than her. They had taken it with them and left her behind.

_ They threw me away! They threw me away and replaced me with a machine! With a prop, a doll, a toy! Did I mean so little to them that they could just replace me with something painted to look like me and move on? Was I nothing to them but a thing? A thing to use, a thing to replace when it got lost, a thing to forget about? Russel and me both! We were nothing more than walking musical instruments to them! Russel's lucky they didn't leave him behind too! They never cared about either of us, and they never will. I hate-_

No. She beat down the thought. Even after everything that had happened, she couldn't make herself hate them. They were all her heart had. If she hated them, she would have no one left in the entire world to love. No one but ghosts.

_Splash._

The sound was a bit louder this time. Perhaps the waves were picking up, or the tide was coming in, or there was a fish or one of those ridiculous jellyfish stranded in the shallows below her, or any number of things. What did it matter?

_I'm going to die out here…_

She tried to push that thought away too. This was no time for despair to creep in. She would find a way out of this mess. She had too. She was a super soldier, and no matter how many bad things happened, she would keep going.

Only…

Only, what was the use of keeping going when you had no one to keep yourself going FOR?

_Splash!_

The sound was beginning to irk her. It was loud and irregular enough that perhaps it was indeed made by a fish or some other animal. She decided to check, likely for no other reason than so she could properly focus her annoyance. _And if it's one of those stupid jellyfish, I'm going to bean it with that ugly baby doll. _She crawled to the edge of the garbage cliff and peered over the side, down into the water below.

The beach below the hill sloped down at a gentle angle to meet the water, and where it did, she saw several large pieces of garbage sticking out of the surf like strange boulders. She could make out a rusted car door, an old mattress, and a broken TV, among other things. And near the car door, she saw a dark shape in the water that she at first mistook for some sort of oil slick. It was dark and spreading and seemed to change shape in the ebb and flow of the water below. Then, she saw something long and spindly come out from the black shape and reach weakly for the shore. An arm. A hand.

There was a PERSON down there.

Noodle froze instinctively, holding her breath and not even daring to blink. She stayed still as a statue and watched the weak movement below, trying to see who it was, wanting to know if she faced friend or foe.

The hand found the shore, braced itself against the detached car door and made an attempt to pull the rest of the body out of the surf. It trembled slightly, the long pointed fingers flexing against the car door, and then it slipped back down into the dark water.

_Splash!_

The waves pushed gently at the limp form, and it seemed to expand and contract in the water once more. Then it moved again, a bit more frantically this time. This time she saw two arms reach for the car door, and succeed in pulling the shape halfway out of the water, where it lay there, looking like it was unsure if it had the strength to continue. Noodle realized she was still holding her breath and let it out as quietly as she could, just as the shape below lost its grip on the shore again and slid back into the water.

_Splash!_

She allowed herself some slight movement so she could lean further over the edge and get a better look at whatever it was. It lay in the surf, little more than a silhouette to her, but she could see that it had long thin limbs and a very round, smooth head, although the head seemed to taper into an odd snout of some sort. Unless that was just a trick of the light causing the head to blend into whatever refuse it was resting on. The blackness that she had mistaken for oil was still there, streaming away from the figure's shoulders like some sort of cape.

And Noodle was suddenly very, very glad she had remained silent and unmoving. Because she now knew who she was looking at.

The black cloaked monster in the gasmask, the one from the boat, the one that the _other _Noodle had peppered with bullets and knocked off the deck of the ship at the climax of the battle. Right before she had turned on Noodle herself. The "Boogieman," as Murdoc had called it. It had survived being shot and had managed to get itself to Plastic Beach, just as she had, and was now trying to drag itself up out of the surf as she watched.

It reached out feebly once more, but this time it lacked the strength of even the previous efforts, and its hand slid back down the shore and into the water, not even a splash marking its fall this time.

Noodle watched, but it did not make another attempt to get up out of the surf and instead lay in the filthy water, its cape still billowing around it in the waves like spilled oil, and its head resting awkwardly on the shore, one hand still outstretched toward the car door. Noodle watched for about ten minutes more, but it did not move again.

Was it dead?

Maybe…or maybe it was just resting after a long swim. Or maybe it knew she was there, and was trying to trick her into going down there to investigate. She didn't see how it could possibly have seen or heard her, but she was fairly sure it wasn't human, so perhaps it had heightened senses or extra-sensory abilities. Maybe it was waiting for prey to come within reach so it could start replenishing its strength, at least enough to get up out of the water. Maybe it was waiting for her to come within reach of those long fingers and…

Noodle shook herself, trying to get rid of a sudden attack of the heebie jeebies. She didn't like it, but she did know that, trap or not, she had to go down there and investigate. The only other option was to return to the shelter for the night, knowing the Boogieman was somewhere on the beach, possibly alive and possibly hungry. Or angry. Or whatever motivation it had. And that was foolish. She would just have to be careful. She once again regretted the loss of her gun, but there was nothing she could do about that. Maybe she could hit it with that stupid doll if it attacked her.

She slid carefully down the refuse mound, making sure to give the limp figure a wide berth. She grimaced as her feet hit the ground. It was unbelievably wet and soggy down here, and stank terribly, the smell a charming combination of ripe garbage and all the unpleasant scents of the sea-brine, mud, seaweed, dead fish. She would have covered her nose if she hadn't wanted to have both ands free to defend herself. The light from the rising moon glinted dully off the figure lying in the water, and now that she was closer, she could see it more clearly. It was longer than she was tall, and although it had a person's shape, it was crooked and wiry and unnatural. What little she could see of its torso under that cape looked frail and boney, its exposed flesh had a strange greenish cast to it, and the head she could see behind the gasmask was veiny and swollen and quite unpleasant looking. Its outstretched hand was more than twice as long as her own, and although it wore gloves, Noodle could tell that the fingers underneath ended in wicked claws. Its nose was long and crooked, looking like a cross between Pinocchio's and a witch's from a fairy tale, and that gasmask gave it a blank, perpetually wide-eyed expression , which was now fixed on some distant point down the beach as its head rested on the garbagy substrate. Of course, there was no way to tell if the eyes behind that mask could still see or not, no way to tell without getting closer…

Noodle almost laughed to herself. And then what? What was she going to do, creep up to it and poke it with a stick? And if it was still alive, what then? She had no weapon. Was she going to throw the TV at it? Bludgeon it to death with the car door? She had absolutely no plan, and she was ten feet from the thing! Some soldier! Maybe she'd deserved to get kicked off the ship's deck by her robotic replacement.

She tried to ignore the thought. This was not the appropriate time for self-pity. She would deal with this situation…somehow...and then she could go back to the shelter and feel sorry for herself. If she absolutely had to.

That night-owl of a seagull cried again, and the masked creature raised its head.

Noodle panicked in spite of herself, and reached into the trash mound behind her for something to throw. Her hand closed over a soggy newspaper and she threw it at the thing. It flew apart into dozens of separate sheets and fell on and around the monster, and it swiveled its round head around to look at her. _Damn it! _She'd done nothing but get its attention. Their eyes met, one set bloodshot and frightened, the other wide and unblinking, and both of them froze, staring at the other.

She hardly dared to breathe as it looked at her with those empty eyes. She wanted to grab another piece of trash to throw, wanted to leap at it and try to get it under the water and drown it, even wanted to run back up the slope and hide herself among the old cars and broken appliances, but she could do nothing while it stared at her. Its expression was impossible for her to read and thus she had no idea what its next move would be. She could only be ready for it and react when it came.

The rising moon came out from behind a high, wispy cloud and shined down on both of them, turning the Boogieman into a black silhouette, but illuminating Noodle herself clearly.

The Boogieman bolted upright in what looked like a panic and threw itself backwards into the water.

Noodle lunged at it, afraid of losing it in the surf, afraid that it would be faster in the water and would swim away from her like some oversized eel. She landed on top of it and seized one of its wrists, narrow enough that she could get her entire thumb and forefinger around it, and the creature kicked at her, its foot hitting her in the chest, and although it didn't hurt, it startled her enough that she loosened her grip enough for it to wiggle free. But instead of swimming away like she'd feared, it blundered toward the shore on hands and knees, throwing itself up onto the beach and against the garbage hill that she'd recently been sitting on. It tried to climb up away from her, but the hill was too steep and the creature's strength was gone. Instead, it reached into the garbage pile and pulled out an empty beer bottle. It threw the bottle at her, but the throw was much too weak and it only made it half the distance between them before hitting the ground and shattering. This last attack seemed to use up all of the thing's remaining energy, and it cowered against the hill, shaking visibly.

_Is it…is it scared of me? Why? It's not like I was able to hurt it at all back on the ship, and I don't even have a weapon anymore. _ Still, if it was as tired as it looked, as tired as she _felt_, then maybe it felt vulnerable. Whatever the reason, the monster's fear emboldened her a bit and she moved closer. Not too close though. She knew and a cornered and frightened creature could still be very, very dangerous. It cringed against the garbage when it saw her move closer, but did not move from its spot. It was still shaking, and its breathing was labored and hissing, reminding her a bit of Darth Vader from the old Star Wars movies. One hand held onto the hill, the other was clutched its side, and in the moonlight, Noodle could see dark blood on its fingers.

_That must be one of the places where it was shot, _she realized_. _And finally the reason for the creature's fear became clear. It probably thought she was the OTHER Noodle, the one that had shot it, come back to kill it while it was helpless. And after everything that had happened, THAT was the straw that broke the goddamn camel's back.

"I'M NOT HER!" she screamed at it, infuriated that it could have mistaken her for that glorified piece of scrap metal. She tapped her finger forcefully against her forehead. "See? No bullet hole!" She pointed to her eye. "No leak!" She pointed at her mouth. "No crazy grin! I'm not that piece of TRASH!" She'd lapsed into her native Japanese, too angry to remember and form the proper English words, but she supposed that it probably didn't matter. If it was a supernatural creature, it probably wasn't bound by language constraints. "I'm the real me! The real me, and that fake is not me, and don't you think that it is! Understand me? Do you understand me, _YOU SON OF A BITCH_?" It didn't seem to react to her tirade, and instead remained cowering against the trash heap, like some humanoid rat or weasel, and its wide eyes still looked at her blankly. Because of the mask, of course, but in her anger, she could only interpret its expression as apathy. This thing didn't give a damn about her anger any more than Murdoc or 2D or anyone else in the world did.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed at it, and started searching the refuse-littered beach for something to throw at it. Choosing her missile more carefully this time, she seized a rusty hubcap and hurled it at the creature with all her strength, hitting it square in the face and causing it to fall from its perch. It hit the water with a _splash, _flailed around for a split second, and then lay still.

Quick as a cat, Noodle darted over to it. If she was going to try and kill it, she had better be fast. Get ahold of it now while it was dazed. Pin its arms to its sides. Hold its head under the water. Wait its struggles out. She was on her knees beside it in an instant. She reached out and seized it…and met no resistance.

That stopped her. And cooled much of her anger as well. She'd expected it to try and fight back, if only feebly, but it did nothing but flinch away from her slightly. And the thought of taking an unresisting victim and forcing its head under the water until it was dead made her feel slightly sick. She tried to steel herself, tried to remind herself that this thing was dangerous and was not something that she could leave running around in the darkness while she tried to sleep, but right now it didn't look like it was going to be doing much running around, what with it barely being able to raise its head out of the surf. Its labored breathing burbled whenever the waves lapped over the snout of its mask. Noodle reached out and wrapped her hand around its snout. It felt hard and metallic and about as big around as a soup can. All she would have to do was push down on it slightly to force it underneath the water. Then the rhythmic burbling sound would become constant, and then it would fade away, and she would be alone again. Alone and safe.

The Boogieman finally tried to resist her, reaching out and trying to push her hand away.

It couldn't.

_She _couldn't.

She hesitated a moment more, then gently angled the creature's snout so that it was out of the water and resting on the beach.

The burbling sound ceased and the hissing, labored breathing returned. The Boogieman's hand fell back onto the beach beside its face. It's wide, unblinking eyes glinted in the moonlight as they stared blankly at the pile of refuse beside it.

Curious in spite of herself, Noodle reached out and gently touched its gloved hand. Its long fingers were bony and delicate, despite being larger than her own, and they flexed against the ground when she touched them. Her own hand traveled down their length, feeling the hardness of the curved claws underneath the leather glove, then traveled back up again, past the glove and up onto its wrist, and then its arm. Its greenish flesh felt similar to a human's, except that it was slightly tougher and lacked hair. Feeling bolder, she reached up and poked the strange, exposed flesh of its head. Her fingers sank slightly into the rubbery, vein-ribbed skin and she grimaced, pulling her hand away. There was a dark liquid on her fingers when she lifted her hand from the creature's head, and she realized that it was bleeding from a head wound. Another bullet wound? Or maybe just a gash sustained when it had fallen? She couldn't see very well in the moonlight, and she didn't really want to go feeling around in the bloody, veiny mess to try and find out the nature of the wound. She wiped her hand on one of her leggings instead, then rested it on the creature's mask. The mask was made of stiff leather and felt slick and greasy, although that could have just been from lying in filthy garbage water for who knew how long. The Boogieman's breath hitched slightly, paused, then resumed its labored hissing.

"You are hurt very badly, aren't you?" she whispered to the creature. "You'd never let me do this if you weren't. " It's only reply was hissing breathing and staring eyes. Noodle looked down at the limp, blank-eyed, suffering thing and felt a soft stirring of pity in her heart. It seemed someone was having an even worse time of it than she was. And yes, that someone was a monster, maybe even a demon, and it had initiated a nasty battle and tried to kill her friends, but it was also in pain and frightened of her and lying in the cold, stinking water, and it made her heart hurt for someone other than herself for the first time since she'd climbed up on the beach. _It seems the old adage is true, _she thought to herself. _No matter how bad you've got it, someone always has it worse. _At that someone was lying in front of her, shivering in the surf.

She reached out and took hold of it beneath its arms and pulled it out of the water as gently as she could.

It struggled slightly against her, then went limp again. Its breathing became more labored. Its wide eyes stared off into the distance.

Noodle lifted its upper body and got one arm underneath its shoulders. She slid the other underneath the monster's knees, and slowly got to her feet.

She was relieved to find that it was actually quite light, despite being awkward to carry, with its long limbs and trailing cape. It felt a bit like she was trying to haul a scarecrow around. She managed to get it back up the hill and headed toward her shelter, staggering as she struggled with carrying the thing, the two of them looking like the poster for the world's strangest horror movie.

Once she got inside, she laid it down beside the window, where the light was best, then began rummaging around inside her pack for the pen light she knew was in there. She was going to have to take a look at the creature's wounds, and she needed all the light she could get. She wasn't sure what exactly she could do for it, but she thought she ought to at least try. Her soldier training had included first aid, but bullet wounds and internal trauma were beyond her skills. Still, the only other alternative was simply waiting for it to die, and that seemed as cruel to her as leaving it in the surf. It couldn't hurt to take a look. She finally located the pen light, flicked it on, and placed it between her teeth so she could have her hands free. She opened a hidden compartment inside the pack and pulled out the travel first aid kit that was inside, then went over and knelt beside the Boogieman

"I'm going to take a look at you now and see if there's anything I can do to help," she mumbled around the pen light. She still didn't know if it could understand her or if it was even still conscious, but it seemed…rude…to just start fumbling around without a word of warning. "I need you to hold still and let me see. Don't worry, I promise I'll try my best not to hurt you."

There was no response from it save that hissing breathing. Noodle hesitated, unsure of how to begin. _Well, I know it has a side wound and a head wound. I suppose I should start with the side wound, since that seems to be causing it the most pain. _Still, she hesitated, looking at the creature. Its face was turned away from her and staring out the window. Its hands were limp at its sides. Its breathing was unchanged. It hardly seemed aware of her.

"I'm going to take a look now," she said again. "Hold still." She took hold of the Boogieman's wet cape and pulled it open, exposing its torso. Her first impressions on the beach had been correct, as its torso was indeed skeletal. However, it was not pure bones, like a Halloween skeleton, but rather, was dried and shriveled flesh that seemed to cling to the bones underneath, like an unwrapped mummy or perhaps a well-decayed zombie. Looking at is bizarre anatomy, she couldn't help wonder at how such a thing could even be alive. Then again, it was the Boogieman. She didn't know if it WAS really alive, if it could even be healed, if it could even die. Still, it was bleeding and was in pain, which pointed toward it being a real flesh and blood creature, but…she honestly didn't know. If she was going to try to help it though, she might as well operate under the assumption that is was alive and similar to a human unless something indicated otherwise.

_Something like a skeletal torso? _She shook her head wryly and the light bounced all over the wall. Steadying the penlight again, she located the side wound and touched it gently. The creature's breath hissed louder. She felt the edges of the wound underneath he thick black ichor that was oozing out of it. Small and round…yup definitely a bullet wound. Not that there was really much chance of it being anything else, since she had seen the creature get shot during the battle. She reached underneath the creature and located the larger exit wound in its back. Well, at least she didn't have to worry about the bullet still being in there. She didn't know if there was internal damage though. She didn't know if the Boogieman had organs. It did have some sort of blood though, and that was still oozing freely. Maybe she should just close up the wound to stop the bleeding and hope for the best.

She opened the first aid kit and found the supplies she needed for stitches, as well as some disinfectant. Reading her needle, she wiped the blood away with some gauze and disinfectant and then slipped her needle into its odd, dry flesh to make the first stitch.

The creature's breath hissed in sharply and it smacked her hand away from the wound. Her needle and thread flew out of her hand and clattered somewhere off in the darkness.

"Stop that!" she snapped at the Boogieman. "You need to hold still! Do you want me to leave it like that and let you bleed to death? I know it hurts, but if you hold still, it will be over faster." Annoyed, she shined her penlight all around until she found the needle and thread next to the wall. She poured the disinfectant on the needle, then returned to the creature's side. "Hold still. This is going to hurt," she told it, "But I want you to relax and let me help you. Please." She slipped the needle into its flesh once again.

Its hand came up again, but she was ready for it this time, and caught its wrist. She forced it back onto the ground and put her knee on it. Not comfortable for the creature, she knew, but there was no other choice to restrain it. Its other hand came up and she smacked it away, then quickly completed the stitch. She stuck her needle in for the second stitch. The monster bucked underneath her and its breathing became loud and frantic. She pushed its hand away again, then leaned over and stuck out her elbow to try and deflect its hand from any further attempts. In this awkward pose, her knee on the creature's arm, her elbow stuck out, penlight in her mouth, she completed the last three stitches while it struggled silently underneath her. She had been wondering if it could talk at all, but after this, she decided it must be mute. Surely if it could talk or make any kind of noise, it would have been yelling at her. Or screaming. Or growling. Or whatever it was that demons did.

She leaned back and looked at her handiwork, dodging one last smack from the Boogieman as soon as she got off its arm. Closed. Of course, it didn't really much matter if the serious damage was inside, but it was the best she could do. And the Boogieman would probably filet her if she messed around in there much more. She covered the wound with a bandage and then gently turned the creature over so she could see to the exit wound. The Boogieman gave a quavering, drawn out respiration she could only interpret as a sigh of resignation, and she felt that soft pity return.

"Shhhh…" she leaned over and whispered in its ear (or, at least, where its ear would be, since she couldn't actually see one). "It's all right. I just need to close up this last wound, and then it will be over. Can you hold still while I do?" Sadly, she knew it could not, so when she moved its cape out of the way so she could see the wound more clearly, she wrapped the black cloth around its arms, pinning them to its sides. Its struggled weakly, writhing against the ground. "I'm sorry," she said softly, feeling like an ogre. Again, she poured disinfectant over the wound. It struggled more fiercely, and its booted feet kicked against the ground. Noodle quickly made the stitches, closing this wound more easily since she didn't have to fight off the creature while doing so. She placed a bandage on the wound, then let go of the creature and threw herself backwards, in case it struck out at her once released.

But it didn't. It didn't even seem to have the strength to get its arms free of the cape. Instead, it seemed to huddle in on itself, drawing its knees up against its body and huddling away from her. Noodle crawled back over to it, slowly in case it decided it did want to attack after all. She longed to soothe it again, but decided that since it was already restrained, she might as well see to its head wound. She shined the penlight on the top of the Boogieman's head, and was greeted by the charming sight of black veins straining every which way against the odd green flesh. A fresh trail of black ooze was plowed through this mess at the very top of the thing's head. _Must have been grazed by a bullet..._She was relieved that didn't look like it needed any stitches, since she really, REALLY didn't want to try sewing up that disgusting veiny nastiness. Instead, she wiped it as clean as she could get it, disinfected it, and covered it with a bandage.

"There. All done," she whispered to the masked creature. "All done." She pulled its cape loose, freeing its trapped limbs, then rolled it gently back over onto its back. Using the penlight, she did a quick search of the rest of its body, but did not find any other wounds. _The cyborg must have had really lousy aim, _she thought, packing up her first aid supplies and placing them back into her pack. _Of course, what can you expect from a copy? _I _wouldn't have missed twenty times. Maybe if that glorified tin can had done its work properly, neither of us would be going through this right now…_ She looked back over at the Boogieman. "Not that the alternative would be much better for you," she said softly to it. "But at least you wouldn't be suffering." She zipped up the pack and then crawled back over to the wounded monster.

Its head was facing away from her, toward the window, but otherwise, it was as she had left it. Its breathing had gotten faster and shallower though, which gave her pause. When something was breathing like that, it was never a good sign. She was reminded of a baby bird she had found when she was a very young girl. "Found" was actually the wrong word-she had rescued it from a cat. It had been wounded though, and Dr. Kyuzo had said there was nothing they could do for it. Determined to save it however, she had smuggled it into her room and made it a little nest of handkerchiefs in a shoebox. She had been hopeful at first, but it had gotten worse as the evening wore on, and it kept her up that night with that desperate shallow breathing. She had eventually fallen asleep, and when she had woken up the next morning, the little bird had been cold and stiff and dead. Just like the Boogieman would probably be tomorrow morning.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered softly to it, although she wasn't actually sure why she should BE sorry. It had been attacking her friends after all. This whole situation was its own fault. _Or was it? _She realized that she actually didn't know anything of the nature of the conflict between Murdoc and the Boogieman. She'd arrived in the middle of the battle, and she had been "disposed of" before the battle's end, so she'd never really gotten an explanation of what was really going on. For all she knew, Murdoc had insulted the creature's mother or something.

Chuckling in spite of herself, she sat down next to the masked creature and touched its limp hand. "It will be okay," she lied, rubbing its fingers. "I'll look after you until you're well." _Or until you're dead… _Sighing, she absently stroked its hand as she listened to it breathe. It began to dawn on her that perhaps a gasmask wasn't the most comfortable thing to be wearing when you were having trouble breathing. She looked back up at its head, still turned away from her, and saw that the straps on the mask were haphazardly fastened and looked quite easy to undo. She reached out and started to work the top one free.

The creature hissed and pulled away from her, trying to huddle against the window. Its hand came back and tried to cover the mask straps.

"Okay, okay," she reassured it. "I won't take it off. I thought it might help you breathe easier, but if you want me to leave it on, I will." Besides, given what the back of its head looked like, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to see its face anyway. "Come on now," she said softly, pulling the creature away from the window as gently as she could. "It's all right, I'm not going to hurt you. Don't be scared of me. Shhhh, it's all right...it's all right." It struggled a bit against her, but she lifted it awkwardly into her arms, holding it to her and resting its bulbous, masked head against her chest. "It's all right now," she whispered to it. "You're safe."

There was no change in its demeanor, so she didn't know if it was comforted or not, but she imagined that it was, and that comforted her. She leaned back a bit, still holding the creature to her, and stared out the window at the moon, rising out over the ocean and casting a sickly light down on the unnatural beach.

_I want my mom. _It was a thought that came utterly out of nowhere and one that baffled her completely. Her mom? She hadn't even thought of either of her parents in years. She didn't even remember what either of them looked like. She supposed she had been very young when they had died. Or abandoned her. Or she'd been taken from them. Her memories of her soldier training had long since returned, but she still didn't have any memories of before that time.

Except maybe…she wasn't sure…but maybe…she had a few dim memories, now that she thought about it. A cramped little apartment, small but comfortable…a kind voice, a woman's voice, talking to her, teaching her, telling her how to put on a kimono…telling her how to cook a delicious smelling soup with fish and vegetables while a gentle hand guided her own in stirring it…singing her to sleep in the middle of the night after a nightmare. Singing in a sweet, clear voice about love and melodies and somesuch.

_Mom? _She blinked back tears, surprised. _Was that…was that my mom? Why? Why am I remembering this now? _Of course, it made sense that, in a situation like this, anyone would want their mom, but…she…she thought she had long left such childish feelings far behind.

The Boogieman stirred in her arms. _I'll bet you want your mom too. If you have one, anyway. _She looked down at it and saw with surprise that it was looking up at her with those wide, emotionless eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry," she whispered to it. "I didn't mean to wake you." Of course, she didn't know if it had actually been asleep in the first place, but still… She cradled it closer and rested her chin on the top of the creature's head. And then snapped it up again when it touched rubbery veins and bloody gauze. Bad idea. Instead, she laid its head back on her chest and rubbed the back of its neck gently. There were no icky veins on its neck. "It's going to be all right," she told it again. "I'm here with you, and I'll stay by your side all through the night. So don't worry. Just go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

She began to rock it ever so slightly, and as she did, the old memories became clearer. Including the song. As the melody began to form in her mind, it also came to her lips, and she started singing it, perhaps to comfort the creature, or perhaps only as a way to capture it before it faded from her memory again. At first it was only the melody, but as she sang, the words began to return to her as well. Blinking back tears again, she rocked the masked creature in her arms and sang:

_Take a melody_

_Simple as can be_

_Give it some words, and_

_Sweet harmony_

_Raise your voices_

_All day long now,_

_Love grows strong now_

_Sing a melody of love_

_Oh, love…_

Her voice caught in her throat. Singing that…it had brought back more memories than she cared to deal with right now. Those few dim memories of her mother. Her early childhood in the Super Soldier Program. The day she'd arrived on the Gorillaz's doorstep, the same day she'd met Murdoc and Russel and 2D for the first time. Their first recording session together. Their first concert. Their first tour. Her first solo music video. Her second music video…the day the helicopters came…

She clutched the Boogieman to her tightly and buried her face in the top of its head, not caring this time about its unpleasant texture. Its head could have been covered in boogers and cat barf for all she cared right now. She was not going to cry. She was NOT. She may have lost everything else in the world, but she was going to keep her composure. It was all she had left.

Deciding that that was QUITE enough singing for one night, she gently laid the creature back down beside the window, then lay down next to it. She knew it was probably just a flight of fancy, but she thought it seemed to be breathing a bit easier.

_Yes, that's right. I've healed it with my magical singing voice. _She chuckled to herself, the sound mostly devoid of humor. _Tomorrow I'll sing an aria out on the beach and a magical flying horse will appear and the Boogieman and I will ride it over the waves to Shangri-la. _

She turned over onto her side and sighed to herself. She was far too old to believe in fairy tales. She knew, deep down, that neither of them were going to get off this island. She was going to die here, and so was the Boogieman, and the two of them would rot here together, along with the millions of other things that had been used up and thrown away.


	3. Morning on Plastic Beach

**Morning on Plastic Beach**

**Noodle gets to know her fellow castaway. Boogieman likes string cheese. OMG….I smell a sitcom! We'll call it "Cranky and the Mute." Look for it next fall on Fox, where it will run for three episodes before getting replaced by yet another derivative reality TV show, this one about a headless couple trying to raise ten children aboard a functioning oil rig while the audience votes each week about who to throw to the sharks.**

The crying of seagulls woke her. Noodle opened her eyes to a bright patch of sunlight glinting off a dented toaster, a grimy tire and a twisted jump rope among other things in the "wall" of garbage on the other side of the "room." Morning. She tried not to groan from the various aches and pain she'd gotten from sleeping on a hard uneven surface and stretched slightly to work out the kinks in her muscles. She felt a strange combination of hungry and nauseous, and her mouth felt bone dry, as if she'd slept with it open all night. She thought of the pack across the room, and the water bottles it contained, and as she tried to get up the gumption to brave the aches and pains in her body and get up and go get something to drink, she became aware of a sound that was in the room with her. Breathing. Loud and hissing, and yet, at the same time, relaxed and even.

Suppressing a groan at the stiffness in her muscles, she turned over onto her other side and found a wide-eyed, staring face inches from her own.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, the noise echoing metallically in her makeshift shelter, and threw herself backwards, bonking into the wall and jabbing herself in the small of the back with the leg of a broken desk chair. "OW!"

The Boogieman stirred at the sound of her commotion and put its hands over its nonexistent ears. It turned over in one quick, fluid motion to face away from her. Putting it squarely facing the huge window and the rising, watery sun. Its hands left its ears to pull its cape over its face instead.

"Sorry, sorry," Noodle muttered in apology, putting her hands over her own face. She had a headache, and the bright morning light coming in directly in her eyes wasn't helping things. "Yikes, we need curtains in here." She chuckled in spite of herself. "And maybe some beanbag chairs and blacklight posters. I'm thinking about going for a retro look. What do you think?" she asked the masked creature's back.

There was no response from it. Of course. Still chuckling a bit, she raised her eyes from it and looked out the window at the beach. The hazy sun was still fairly low over the water, which meant it was still quite early, but there were hundreds of seagulls crowded together down on the beach, sifting through the refuse for the edible bits, and just as many if not more were wheeling through the sky above, waiting their turn at the rancid buffet table. The noise was tremendous.

"Kinda puts the racket I made in perspective, doesn't it?" she said to the Boogieman as she crawled over to its side. She was honestly surprised to find it was still alive, but even more surprisingly, she thought it seemed to be doing better than it had been last night. Certainly its breathing sounded easier, and its quick movements when she had screamed had had a bit of strength to them, at least, more than its feeble movements last night had had. She honestly didn't think that a few stitches could have helped that much. Speaking of which…

"Hey," she said softly, touching the creature's shoulder. "I want to take a look at your wounds again. Can you turn over so I can see?

No response. It didn't even raise its head. It was almost like it was ignoring her.

Sighing to herself, she tried to roll it over onto its back herself. Its hand came back and pushed her backwards, and she landed painfully on her rump. "Ouch! Stop it!" she snapped. "You stop this and let me see, or I'll…I'll…leave you to rot. I'll leave you out on the beach and let the seagulls eat you."

It finally raised its head, looking back over its shoulder at her. Then, maddeningly, it laid its head back down without acknowledging her or what she'd said in the slightest.

Noodle had had enough. "Oh fine, be a baby about it then! See if I care! I don't know why I bothered helping you in the first place. You're awfully ungrateful." And she was getting QUITE tired of hanging around ingrates. Turning her back on the monster, she crawled over to her pack. She was still terribly thirsty, and the water was still in there waiting for her.

She opened the pack, and grabbed one of the bottles. The cap hissed slightly as she broke the seal and spun it free. She raised it to her lips, and although her body was crying out for liquid, she forced herself to take small slow sips. It wouldn't be good to aggravate her already upset stomach, or to go overboard and drink too much of her water ration in one sitting. She needed to conserve it. Regretfully, she took one more small sip of the tepid water and then recapped it. That would do for now. As she turned to put it back in the pack, she saw out of the corner of her eye that the Boogieman had its head up and was watching her.

She turned toward it and met its blank eyes. It looked back at her. "What?" she said.

No response.

Annoyed, she moved to put the water back in the pack. The creature's head moved slightly to follow her movement.

Noodle paused. She lifted the water bottle back up. The Boogieman's head moved up slightly.

She held out the water bottle. "Do you want water? Can you _drink _water?"

She expected another poker-faced stare followed by it putting its head back down and ignoring her, but to her surprise, it nodded its head slightly.

Still annoyed with it, she considered denying it the water, but decided she couldn't make herself do such a cruel thing. Instead, she had a better idea. "All right, I'll give you some water," she said to it. "But only if you let me look at your wounds first. Understand?"

It cocked its head to the side slightly as if considering, then slowly laid down on its back. It turned its head to face out the window, away from her. Then quickly turned it back to face the other way. The sun was still coming in in full force.

_At least the light will be better than last night, _thought Noodle as she moved to sit beside it. She pulled open its still damp cape to expose its strange bony torso again. In the bright sunlight, she could see that the skin on its torso was a dark, greenish black as opposed to the lighter, pea-green skin on its arms and neck and head. It was tougher looking too. Noodle ran a finger along one of its ribs, feeling its strange, dry, leathery flesh. _What kind of a creature ARE you exactly? Are you really THE Boogieman? Or are you a demon or a monster or an alien or something else? I've never seen a creature like you before…_

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw that the monster had raised its own head up and was looking at her. Or rather, at her hands. Given that her hands weren't anywhere near any of its wounds, it was probably wondering why she was poking at it.

She quickly moved her hand away from its ribs, trying to ignore the slight blush that was creeping onto her cheeks. She supposed that that HAD been rude. After all, if the tables had been turned, she was sure she wouldn't appreciate the creature sitting over her and poking at her own chest without permission.

Concentrating instead on her doctoring, she took a look at its side wound. The gauze was stained black with its dark blood, and she knew she should probably change the bandage. Gently, she worked at peeling it back, trying not to hurt the monster as she worked it free. The Boogieman's breath hissed slightly, but it did not fight her this time. Eventually, she pulled the bandage free and took a look at the stitches below. All of them had held, and the flesh underneath had already begun to knit. There was no blood seeping through anywhere, and the wound looked clean and free of infection. "You heal fast," she muttered as she took out the disinfectant and some more gauze from her first aid kit. She re-cleaned the wound, just to be on the safe side, then put a fresh bandage over it.

She had the creature turn over, then looked over the wound on its back. It was much the same, although it wasn't as far along in the healing process as the entry wound had been. Probably because it was larger. She gave it the same treatment as the entry wound, then tapped the creature on the shoulder. "Both of them look like they are healing well," she told it. "You were very lucky. Now, turn back over and let me look at your head."

It did as she asked. The bandage at the top of its head was completely soaked with blood and stuck fast when she tried to pull it free. She felt the Boogieman shudder beneath her and saw its huge clawed hands ball into fists as though it wanted to strike out at her and was trying to force itself not to. It must have really wanted that water badly. She hoped that that desire would continue to outweigh its desire to gut her like a fish, especially since she'd gotten an even better look at the size of its hands in the daylight. They were almost as long as her forearm.

She began to try and remove the bandage with all the delicate skill and precision and gentleness of a fine Swiss watchmaker, and eventually she worked it free. Underneath was still a dark, bloody mess, with a huge, oozing scab covering most of the wound. Looking at the damage more closely, she saw that the bullet graze had cut right across one of those thick black veins, which would explain all the bleeding. Though the wound had clotted, it looked like it might take a bit longer to heal than the others.

"I'm afraid you might end up with a scar here," she told the Boogieman as she cleaned the wound and covered it with a fresh bandage. "I'm sorry." _Yeah, there goes your dream of someday winning the Mr. Universe competition, Handsome. _Biting back another giggle, she finished affixing the bandage, then said: "There! All done. Thank you for holding still." She smiled down at the creature.

To her surprise, it stared back up at her, head cocked to the side again, as though confused. Startled, she looked back at it, a silent question in her gaze. It looked back. She thought it almost seemed to be straining, as though it was trying to see something that was not clear, but might become so if it only looked hard enough. Suddenly self-conscious, Noodle turned away and put her medical supplies back in the first aid kit. "I'll uh, get you that water now," she said quietly once she had finished.

Crawling back to the pack, she put her first aid kit away and picked up the water bottle. By the time she had returned to the creature's side, it had sat back up and was waiting for her.

"Here," she said, handing it the water. "But don't drink too much. There's only one more bottle left after this one, and after that, I don't know what we're going to drink. I'm going to go looking for supplies on the beach but…" She wasn't hopeful, and her tone showed it.

The Boogieman took the bottle from her and then simply held it in its hand, looking at it as if it didn't know what to do with it.

"Well, go on," said Noodle.

It looked up at her, then back down at the bottle.

"What?" said Noodle. She was beginning to feel exasperated. "What's wrong with it?"

It lifted the capped bottle to the snout of its mask and rattled the bottle's neck against the inside of the snout's rim.

"Oh!" said Noodle, finally understanding. "You can't drink it with that mask on! Do you need me to turn around so you can take it off?"

It shook its head at her.

"What then?" she asked.

It set down the bottle, then put its hands together, to make a U-shape.

"A cup?" she guessed.

It moved its hands outward a bit, making a broader, shallower U-shape.

"A bowl?"

It nodded.

"Uh…" It might as well have asked her for hang glider. She didn't have a bowl with her. Nor anything she could use as one "Hmmm…" She pondered, wondering what they were going to do. Could she let it drink out of her cupped hands? No, that would spill too much water, and they needed to conserve it. Tip its head back and pour the water down its hollow snout like a funnel? No, that would spill too much water as well, and what water did go in would be more likely to end up in its lungs. Pin it down, rip the damn mask off and tell it to get over its "modesty" and just drink the blasted water? No, she'd really rather keep her innards inside her body. She glanced out the window at the seagulls still fighting with one another on the foul beach. She could always go out there and try to find something that would work as a suitable container. It would probably be gross and dirty, but then again, this was a nasty, green, skeletal monster she was taking care of. Maybe hygiene wasn't its biggest priority.

"I don't have a bowl," she told it. "I'm going to go outside and see if I can find something that we can use as one. It'll probably be dirty though. I'll try to clean it out, but…" She shrugged. "Do you mind?"

It shook its head.

"All right then," she said, taking the water bottle back and putting it in the pack. The pack itself she hoisted up on her shoulders so she could take it with her. She certainly didn't trust the monster enough to leave it alone with her rations. They had, after all, been enemies yesterday, and just because she was helping it today didn't mean that it would suddenly be friendly and trustworthy toward her. She slipped the pack on, then got up. "I'll be right back," she told it as she slipped out the "door" of the shelter.

She searched among the refuse for a few minutes until she found an empty Cool Whip container that she could use as a bowl. It was quite grimy inside, but she didn't see any cracks or holes in the plastic that would let the water leak out, so she thought it would work. Grimacing, she wiped it out with the hem of her dress. _So much for these clothes, _she thought, looking at them with regret. Not only were they stained with dirt and the Boogieman's blood, but she was sure that the garbage stench would never come out of them. Well, there were more important things to worry about than clothes anyway. She could certainly buy more, when she got off the island. IF she got off the island...

Determined not to let last night's doubts creep back in, she shook herself and went back to the shelter. "Found one," she told the monster, holding up the container for it to see. "Hope it's all right." Without waiting for a response, she knelt down and took out the water bottle from the pack. Opening it back up, she poured a moderate amount into the container, feeling almost like she was filling a pet's water dish. "Here," she said, recapping the water and then holding the "dish" out to the creature.

It took the container from her and raised it to its face. Bowing its head slightly, it lowered the snout of its mask into the container. A moment later, there was a soft slurping sound, and she saw that it was sucking the liquid through the mask's snout as though it were a giant straw.

"I didn't know you could do that," she said, interested in spite of herself. "That must be a very…versatile gasmask. Maybe you should market your technology to the military if we ever get off this island. It might be a more lucrative business than pirating." She mugged at it slightly.

It ignored her and her feeble attempt at a joke, concentrating on slurping up the last of the water in the bowl, its slender green throat working as it swallowed the liquid. _Some conversationalist you are, _she grumped to herself. _If I wanted something to talk to while I was stranded here, I should have just found a volleyball and painted a face on it. It would probably be better company. _She opened her pack back up and pulled out the apple. Her stomach had settled somewhat, and she thought she could keep some breakfast down now. But she would be careful. Only eat a bit now, and save the rest…

As soon as her teeth broke through the skin of the apple and the tangy juice flooded her mouth, that was the end of being careful. Her body quickly reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday, and that it was crying out for nourishment. She quickly gobbled the rest of the apple up, concentrating on nothing more than the rhythmic biting, chewing and swallowing of the sweet, juicy fruit.

_I needed that, _she reminded herself when she had finished and was looking down at the scant core. _And it wouldn't have kept anyway. Better to eat it all now than risk the part I didn't finish going bad. Besides, I still have the cheese and the granola bar. And hopefully, I'll find something when I go exploring today. _She tossed the core out the door of the shelter to join the rest of the refuse out there.

The Boogieman's head whipped around to follow the movement of the core as it sailed out the door.

"Don't tell me you wanted half of that too," said Noodle. "If you can eat an apple through a gasmask, then I'm taking you and joining a sideshow when we get out of here."

It stared at her pack.

She sighed. "I suppose you're trying to tell me that you want breakfast too?"

It looked at her, then back down at the pack.

"All right," she said, trying to hide her reluctance. The food wasn't going to last much longer than the water if she had to share _it_ too. She took out two of the pieces of cheese and unwrapped them. "Here," she said, handing them to the monster.

It took them from her, held one up to its face and considered it for a moment. Then it delicately lifted one of the slender pieces of mozzarella cheese up to its snout and began to thread it through the hole inside. As Noodle's eyes practically bugged out of their sockets, it pushed the cheese into the snout of the mask. A second later there was a loud slurp, and then it jerked its head back slightly and swallowed convulsively, as though it were a seabird gulping down a fish.

"Uh…" said Noodle. She saw that it was preparing to eat the second piece. She had to get out of there before it did so. "I'm, uh, glad you liked it. I'm going to go out and explore the beach now you lie down and rest for a while and I'll be back to check on you around noonokaybye!" She got to her feet, putting the pack back on as she went, and practically ran out of the shelter. She only just managed to get out of earshot before she started giggling hysterically.

Just when she thought her life couldn't get any stranger, fate found a way to surprise her.


	4. Mementos

**Mementos **

Just as Noodle had feared, her day of searching the island for supplies was unproductive. Most of the area was nothing but endless hills and valleys of broken bottles and empty containers and dirty diapers and old refrigerators and the like. In fact, she might have even gotten lost if she hadn't been careful about keeping track of garbagy landmarks and the shape and curve of the shoreline. As it was, the searching itself was quite tiring, since the ground was extremely uneven and she had to watch out for all sorts of broken glass and medical waste and who knew what else. It was rough going.

Whenever she found anything that resembled part of Murdoc's recording studio, she made her way over to it, and checked it out. Those areas were the most likely to contain food, water, and other things that might be useful. Unfortunately, however, most of the chunks of wall that she found were just that-chunks of wall, with no pieces or contents of any of the rooms they had once adjoined anywhere in sight. Or they were charred beyond recognition from the fire.

She especially kept an eye out for any type of harbor or cove, and any buildings or "caves" that might be near it. If Murdoc had had all those subs, he must have had a marina of some sort where they were kept. If she was lucky, there might be a sub or boat still in there that she could use to escape the island. But she didn't find anything like that either. Just endless refuse and water and bickering seagulls.

As promised, she made her way back to the shelter around noon to check on the Boogieman. It appeared to be asleep when she entered the shelter-it was stretched out beside the window and didn't raise its head when she entered. It seemed to be doing all right though, so Noodle didn't disturb it. She filled its water bowl and left it another piece of cheese, then went back outside the shelter and climbed to the top of another small garbage hill, where she finished off the first bottle of water and ate half her granola bar.

_One bottle of water, two pieces of cheese, and half a granola bar. That's all we've got left. _She tried her best not to worry and concentrated on planning out the rest of the day while she rested. There was still a section of the island behind three large trash hills to the west that she hadn't yet explored. As well as most of the beach on the west side of the island. She still had half the day left, and there were still plenty of places she hadn't looked. She could still find food or water or even a way to escape. It wasn't time to panic yet.

It wasn't time to panic, but it was time to get moving. Taking one last swallow of water, she put the empty bottle into her pack (it could still be handy to transport liquid in, if she found some) and headed for the west side of the island.

About an hour later, she had made it over the trash hills and was rewarded with the site of an intact corner of the studio. Two walls, part of the roof, AND a window. Through which she could see what appeared to be furniture. Hardly believing her good luck, she had to blink her eyes a few times to make sure what she was seeing wasn't some strange mirage. When it did not disappear, even after she pinched herself, she had to accept that is was real. Practically squealing with delight, she forced herself to move carefully toward it (as much as she wanted to run, a broken ankle was the last thing she needed out here).

It was fairly cramped inside, and pretty dark too, since the bit of roof overhead blocked out most of the sunlight, but she could see that it had dark maroon wallpaper and a single lamp hanging cockeyed in the middle of the ceiling. The wall to her right was covered with a large grouping of pictures, and across the room from her was a large overturned easychair. And next to the chair was a small, rectangular shape…

She hardly dared to hope. Was that a little refrigerator?

She picked her way over to it, mindful of the broken glass all over the floor, and pulled the small refrigerator's door open. The overpowering scent of alcohol filled her nostrils as shattered booze bottles came tumbling out of the fridge to add their contribution to the mess on the floor.

"Murdoc-san!" she shouted in dismay to the empty room. "I should have known all you'd have in there is liquor!" Trying to stifle her disappointment, she glanced back inside the fridge and shook her head. Not even a jar of olives or a half a lime. Just spilled alcohol and broken glass. So much for finding food here. She slammed the little door shut in disgust and turned to leave. This particular search had certainly been a bust. And this little room had looked so promising too. She crunched miserably through the broken glass back toward the missing section of wall that she had entered from.

She couldn't help but give the pictures a curious glance as she passed them though. To her surprise, they were full of familiar faces. There was Murdoc, giving his usual creepy scowl. Russel, with his little fez balanced precariously on his head. Several people whom she recognized from the beach when she and Russel had first arrived. Collaborators with Murdoc. They looked like musicians, so perhaps they had helped Murdoc with the music on his new album. And in the upper left corner, there was 2D, with his typical clueless look. Clueless, _unhappy _look. She felt a touch of sorrow, looking at his picture. He had always been so animated and full of cheer for as long as she'd known him. Yet here, and on the beach when she'd first arrived, he'd looked so haggard and tired and miserable. She wondered again what exactly had been going on at this island before she'd arrived.

"D-san…" she murmured, reaching up to touch the picture. She paused, almost smiling as thoughts of happier times flitted through her mind and then were gone.

Impulsively, she took 2D's picture down from the wall. She would bring it, and her other friends' pictures back with her to the shelter. True, it was silly, but she thought perhaps having those pictures there would cheer her and motive her not to give up. As much as they had angered her, she still cared about them, and she wanted to keep their memories close at hand while she was stuck in this awful place.

She took Murdoc's picture off the wall. Then scanned the upper row of pictures, looking for Russel's. Ah, there it was. Right next to…

Russel's picture fell from her hand and clattered to the floor.

From a place of honor on the wall, right between 2D's spot and Russel's, the cyborg looked back at her.

The other two pictures slipped from her other hand and joined Russel's on the floor.

"Uhhh…" The sound that escaped her lips was barely more than a moan. It was the kind of sound she might make if the wind had been knocked out of her. She dropped her eyes from the picture of the cyborg and stared at the wall without really seeing it. "Uhhh…"

_Why…?_

She closed her eyes and leaned hard against the wall, her head pressed against the picture of some smiling rapper.

_Why must you continue to perpetuate this delusion?_

Something stagnant and fetid stirred deep within her.

It terrified her.

Her hands clenched against the wall, her nails carving shallow tears through the maroon wallpaper.

_Why do you pretend? Why do you-?_

"Enough!" she screamed out. "I KNOW it's all lies! I know, I know, I KNOW!"

She seized the picture of the cyborg off the wall and hurled it across the room. The glass shattered and the metal frame clanged as it hit the wall and then fell to the floor.

A roar escaped her throat as she picked up the other three pictures off the floor and flung them at the wall too. Harder.

Almost before the last picture had hit the ground, she had run over to them and slammed her foot down on the nearest, shattering glass, smashing wood, smearing her former bandmates' faces with dirt and garbage and filth from the bottoms of her shoes. She continued to scream wordlessly as she punished her former friends in the only way she could.

With one last howl, she picked up all four pictures, heedless of the broken glass that cut her hands, and ran from the room, heading toward the beach, this time not caring in the slightest about the treacherous footing and dangerous obstacles underfoot.

"I HATE you!" she screamed out, hurling Murdoc's picture into the filthy water, as far out as she could throw it.

2D's followed. "I h-hate you too!" she cried out as she hurled it after Murdoc's.

"And you too!" she forced herself to say to Russel's. True, he hadn't been involved in any of this, least of all the creation of the cyborg, but she was through trying to fool herself into thinking that ANY of them had ever given a damn about her. Russel was surely just as phony and selfish as the others. "I hate you too! I hate you ALL!" She flung Russel's picture to join the others in the stinking sea.

She seized the final picture, that of the cyborg, and threw it into the sea without looking at it. "They're yours now!" she spat. "You can have them! They're all a bunch of fakes, just like you! You four deserve each other!"

Then she was running along the beach, futilely trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and her memories and pain.


	5. Breaking Point

Breaking Point

**Noodle's having a crappy day : (**

Noodle had long since lost track of both the time and her exact whereabouts as she wandered desolately along Plastic Beach, but from the position of the sun in the sky, she guessed that sunset was about an hour away. Not that it mattered. She hadn't found any supplies, but she had long since ceased looking. She hadn't done anything but walk along the beach staring at her feet since she had thrown her friends' pictures into the sea. But it wasn't important. She didn't need supplies, or a way off the island. She didn't need to escape this place. There was no reason to, no place to go to, no one waiting for her. Why waste her time fighting the inevitable?

She wasn't sure she could even find her way back to her shelter, but again, it didn't matter. She didn't really need shelter anymore either. True, the Boogieman was still back there, but she doubted it cared whether she returned or not. It wasn't like it had seemed to want her presence around this morning after all. She was sure it would be fine without her, and probably wouldn't even wonder what had become of her.

She sighed and kept walking, trying to ignore the slight chill in the air that had been present since the wind had picked up a while ago. She let her eyes wander over the endless refuse that was spread out before her. Nothing but useless filth and broken things. A fitting place for someone like her to end up, among the smashed cars and busted toys and plastic bags and…

She paused in her tracks. Was that a guitar?

Hardly believing her eyes, she made her way slowly over to it. It lay on the beach, safely away from the lapping waves, and it looked to be undamaged. It was an acoustic guitar, light yellow, with a white sticker that said "23 Hour Party People" on it. It was HER guitar. It had somehow survived the bombing and the destruction of the island, and now she had stumbled upon it in her wandering. It seemed absolutely impossible, but…here it was.

She picked it up, staring at it in wonder. She didn't know if it was due to her present state of mind or not, but for some reason, music appealed to her right now more than any food or drink possibly could. Forgetting everything else, she quickly looked around for a spot out of the damp where she could sit and play it. She spotted a rather tall trash heap that was a bit exposed to the elements, but nonetheless would have a terrific view of the sea, and headed for it.

Once she was seated at the top of it, she placed her fingers on the guitar's strings, and paused, wondering what to play. She tried a few Gorillaz songs from the earlier days, but they brought back too many memories of people she no longer wanted to think about. She tried "El Manana," but that…hurt. She fiddled with the strings, still trying to come up with something that suited. She didn't want cheery, she didn't want sad, she just wanted…comfort. And with that thought, her fingers found their places on the strings, and her mother's lullaby came from her guitar, and from her lips, to mingle with the mournful wind that was sighing across the landscape.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Boogieman sat in the shelter, staring out the window. The pain in his side had subsided to a bearable level as his body repaired itself, and he found that he could stand up and move around without too much trouble. It was best to leave the stitches in for at least another day though, he'd decided. And to remain in this little lean-to. It was out of the elements, it was relatively comfortable, and the girl who was also staying here, or rather, her supplies, were the only way he could get any food or water, and the Boogieman needed both, since he was stuck here on the mortal plane. For now.

Blast that Evangelist fool! He'd neutralized the Boogieman's powers with that Holy Light of his, and now the Boogieman could not disappear, take souls or create illusions with his Black Mist. He was trapped here, in a mortal body that was wounded, and he had no way of accessing his powers or of leaving this island. It was amazing how such a crazy fool had been able to best him, but then, fools always tended to be more dangerous than expected. They tended to be easier believers than most, free of doubts and second guessing, giving them strong, unshakable faith that made them very difficult to corrupt or even stand against. Not that the Boogieman had had much practice against them, since he was a very minor demon who did not have the power to harvest large numbers of mortal souls, but he had heard so from some of the others. When they could be bothered to acknowledge him, since they tended to have much bigger fish to fry than he did, and viewed him and others like him as unworthy of their presence. And they probably had a point, given that the Boogieman had been unable to capture the soul of a very weak-willed man who had approached HIM first and who should have been easy pickings. And now he was trapped on a garbage island, with little hope of escape. Probably a good place for him, given how laughably weak he was.

Still, it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been. He was still alive (if he had died in this body, he would have been unable to return to the mortal plane), since the girl had spared him on the beach, and because she had sewn his wounds shut, keeping his lifesblood from leaking out while his body repaired itself. Which baffled him. She had no reason to do such a thing. They were enemies. She was a member of that fool Murdoc's band, and she was fighting on his side, so she should have been glad to be rid of the Boogieman. Keeping him alive was just putting herself and her friend in further danger.

So why had she done it? Did she want something from him?

He could have at least understood that. A demon's whole soul capturing existence revolved around bargains. And given that she was in a dire situation herself, it would make sense that she would be willing to make some sort of bargain with him (even if he was powerless to fulfill it right now). But she hadn't given any indication that she wanted to make any sort of deal. The only deal she'd made with him was the one this morning, giving him water in exchange for being able to see to his wounds. But even that deal had made no sense. Both ends of it were things that had benefitted him, not her. She had made a deal with him and gotten nothing out of it, while he had gotten everything. He was baffled.

Why would she do this?

Perhaps she was crazy. It would certainly make sense, given all that she'd gone through since yesterday, and given how her prospects here were just as dire as his own. He could tell that the situation was affecting her. She had been very short tempered this morning, especially when he didn't seem interested in answering her inane questions (although, he hadn't actually been trying to anger her then. Since his mortal body could not speak, he could only communicate through gestures, and he found doing so made him feel ridiculous. Therefore, he didn't like to reply unless it was very important. Which her questions and lame jokes had not been). And so it had been easy to tell through her behavior and the look in her eyes that she was close to coming unhinged. And if this were true, it might spell an opportunity for him, since such people was always quite easy to corrupt. He couldn't take her soul now, as he was, but perhaps later…

But while such an action might be easy and certainly make this whole mess not a total loss, the Boogieman couldn't help but see it as somewhat unsatisfying. Getting a new soul would be a good thing, but an empty one. Because then he would never find out why she had acted the way she had. Why she had saved an enemy and made deals with him that brought her nothing. He wanted to understand, and if he took her soul for his dark master, he never would.

Was this yet another example of his weakness? Would a major or powerful demon let foolish curiosity stop him?

He didn't know. And as he looked out the window at the darkening beach, it occurred to him that there were many things he did not know. And this was not a comforting thought to have while alone in an empty and unfamiliar place.

The wind gusted slightly and for a moment, he thought he heard a strange sound in it.

He paused in his musings to listen, and when the wind blew again, he realized that he could hear music.

Curious, he moved to the doorway of the shelter. Was that music coming from the girl? He knew she was a guitarist in Murdoc's band, but he hadn't thought she'd had a guitar with her. At least, he hadn't seen one this morning, when she had been taking care of him. And she hadn't had one last night, when she'd sung for him.

As if that last thought were the trigger, he realized that the song he could hear on the wind was the same song that she had sung him to sleep with last night.

Which, of course, only confused him more. Why would she be singing that song now, when she was all by herself?

But his curiosity didn't seem so important right then for some reason. What he really wanted was to hear the song better. As strange as it was, he found it…pleasant. And it had helped him to fall asleep last night when he'd been so miserable. Which also didn't make any sense. Why would a song make him sleepy? Why would it make him less miserable? All the girl's actions last night after she'd seen to his wounds had brought him comfort. Which, of course, confused him, and also unnerved him, because a demon shouldn't find silly, weak human things comforting. It was likely another example of how pathetic he was, but he could not deny that it was the truth. Nothing she had done had made his pain go away, but for some reason, being in pain in her arms had been less miserable than being in pain alone on the beach had been, and he could neither understand, nor deny it. It seemed as though the blasted girl had been put on this beach for the sole purpose of baffling him!

But right at this moment, he didn't care so much about any of that. Right now…

Right now he just wanted to hear the song better.

He began to move away from the shelter, following the sound of the music on the wind.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Noodle had lost herself in her singing. She no longer cared about her surroundings or her situation or anything that had happened to her. All she cared about was finding some sort of comfort, and she desperately sought it in the old lullaby's lyrics. She sang it over and over, and as she did so, her memory of it became clearer, just as it had last night. There was another part to the song, and as she sang, more and more bits of it came back to her, until she was sure she could reproduce it on the guitar. Looking out over the darkening sea, she sang:

_Love is the power_

_Love is the glory_

_Love is the beauty_

_And the joy of spring_

_Love is the magic_

_Love is the story_

_Love is the melody_

_We all can sing_

She stopped singing. Tears filled her eyes and her throat closed up with grief and anger. Her guitar slipped from her numb hands and fell from the slope. She didn't even spare it a glance. There was a meaningless _thunk _and snapping of strings as it smashed to the ground somewhere below her.

_Love is…love is….love is NONE of those things, Mother! It's nothing but pain and grief and vulnerability! And betrayal! It's all fucking lies, all of it. ALL of it! Why did you have to lie to me? Why does EVERYONE always lie to me? I hate you for lying…I hate you as much as I hate all the others…_

And finally, no longer having any reason whatsoever to hold it back, Noodle buried her face in her hands and cried.

She cried because her mom had lied to her. She cried because she missed her mom. She cried because Dr. Kyuzo had taken her and made her into a soldier when she was just a little girl, then sent her away when she was ten. She cried because she missed him. She cried because her friends had replaced her with a machine and left her to die. She cried because she missed them. She cried because the helicopters had come….she cried because of what the men inside those helicopters had done…she cried because no one had even tried to rescue her from them…she cried because of what she'd had to do to escape. She cried because as soon as she found something, anything to hold onto, it was taken away from her. Taken away from her and revealed to have not been worth the effort in the first place. She cried because she hated everyone who had ever been important to her. Because they had lied to her and used her. And most of all…

Most of all, she cried because she hated herself. Hated herself for being so useless as a musician that she had been easily replaceable. Hated herself for being so useless as a soldier that she had been easily defeated and left to die in a garbage dump. And hated herself because she had LET all her loved ones lie to her and use her. Hated herself for believing all their lies.

And now she was going to die on this island, and it was a fitting end for her. Her worthlessness had gotten her what she'd deserved, and now there was nothing to do but wait for the end. Then her body could join all the other useless trash, where it belonged. She sobbed her anguish into her hands and the wind took it from her and sent it out over the deserted, uncaring beach and to the empty sea beyond.

She thought she heard a crunch behind her, as though someone had stepped on broken glass or brittle plastic. She didn't bother turning around to see what it was. What did it matter?

Nothing mattered. And all she could do was cry, cry like a scared lonely girl who wanted her mom. Because when everything else about her had been stripped away, that was all that was left.

She heard the sound of a footstep behind her, and felt a presence over her. She didn't care. Whatever it was could go away or kill her or anything it wanted. It made no difference.

The presence behind her moved to her right, and then it was kneeling beside her. Finally letting her curiosity get the better of her misery, Noodle looked over at whatever it was.

The Boogieman looked back at her with its blank white eyes. Its head was cocked to the side as though it were confused. She didn't know why it had left the shelter or how it had found her, but she didn't really care. The last thing she needed was that blasted monster staring at her while she was at her most vulnerable. She lowered her face back into her hands and turned her back on it while she continued to cry. She didn't give a damn about why it was here. If it wanted to kill her or torture her or eat her or drag her to Hell, it could do so. Hell certainly couldn't be any worse than this place. And if it did want to kill her, she might actually welcome a quick end to her misery. Quicker than starving to death, anyway. Let it do what it wanted.

But it didn't do anything. She could no longer see it, but she could still feel it behind her. And it seemed to be doing nothing more than staring at her.

_Just hurry up and get it over with! I want this to end! If you're going to kill me, then just do it! _Suddenly angry, she lowered her hands from her face and smacked the ground as hard as she could with a fist. _Damn it, just kill me you ugly piece of shit. I won't stop you. Do it already! _But she didn't say anything to it. She was crying to hard too do so. She just waited for it to come for her.

And it finally did, moving toward her until it was once again beside her.

Noodle cried. And waited.

It reached out and touched her finger.

Noodle gasped. But…she didn't pull her hand way. She wasn't sure she could. The air between them seemed infused with tension, and she almost felt as though she couldn't move.

Hesitantly, it rubbed her fingers with a strange, awkward gentleness. The unexpected action brought fresh tears, these ones hot and stinging to her eyes. Perhaps they were tears of shame, or embarrassment, or perhaps they came from some deeper, until now undisturbed place inside her, but they could not be stopped and she cried them out in hissing, watery sobs, trying to ignore the creature at her side. And the fact that it was still rubbing her fingers. A bit harder.

"Go away," she tried to say, but she couldn't form the proper words through her sobs. It sounded more like incoherent sniveling.

It stopped rubbing her hand, almost as though it had understood her. She felt it move slightly, as though it was indeed preparing to leave. Then she felt its huge hands take hold of her, and before she knew it, she was being lifted from her spot on the hill. And although she had been prepared for the end, had wanted it in fact, she couldn't help giving a little squeak of fear as the monster picked her up.

It gently lifted her into its lap and encircled her with its long, spindly arms.

She gasped again and tried to wiggle free, but it had her and it wasn't letting go. It held her to it and laid her head against its strange, bony chest.

All she could do was bury her face in its cloak and cry. Some more.

It gently rested its head on the top of hers. Then snapped it up almost immediately.

Noodle stopped crying for a moment. What on earth was it doing?

Its hand came up and adjusted her head on its chest, seemingly trying to make her more comfortable. Its large clawed fingers, not really meant for gestures of affection, nonetheless softly caressed the back of her neck.

Noodle finally realized that it was mimicking her actions from last night. It was trying to comfort her, but, as a demon, it likely had absolutely no idea how to do so. So it was using the only frame of reference it had: her attempts to comfort it last night. It was acting out the same things she had done, in the hope that perhaps one of them would make her feel better.

The absolute clumsiness and yet, sincerity of the gesture struck her as almost cute, and she giggled. Or at least tried to. Her body seemed to only want to do one thing right now, and her giggle came out as more sobs.

The creature held her tighter and began to rock her gently in its arms.

She sniffled into its cape, finding the rocking motion slightly soothing. _What's it going to do next? Try to sing for me?_

As if on cue, she heard it exhale loudly from above her. She raised her head from its chest in curiosity and saw faint smoke coming from the snout of its mask. And as the smoke swirled slightly in the wind, she thought she could hear things in it. Bells. Whistles. The sound of a crowd. The music of a carnival.

Then the wind gusted, the faint smoke dissipated, and the sounds were gone.

The creature tried again, breathing out harder this time. The same smoke issued from its snout in a slightly larger quantity. This time, mixed in with the sounds of the carnival, she could hear a faint voice…_rapping?_

_Payday, you're a winner…_

_Keep cool, form a-_

The sound was fading. The Boogieman tried again, breathing out just a sputter of smoke this time. The song faded into a jumble of noise, then picked up at what sounded like a different spot.

_There's dealers, and players and-_

Fading…

It breathed out again. The song picked up disjointedly once more.

_Sun moon starry y'alls_

_Each and-_

It faded once again. The creature tried to bring it back again, breathing out once more, but no more smoke at all came from its snout, and the carnival noises disappeared on the wind.

Noodle could only stare at the monster with wide eyes. What the hell kind of lullaby was that? Was that the only song it knew?

It hung its head a bit, as though it were disappointed with itself for failing.

She finally understood just how hard it was trying to make her feel better and she threw her arms around it. It jumped a bit, as though startled, but she nestled against its chest and buried her face back in its cloak and eventually she felts its arms tighten around her once more. She still had tears left, and she would cry them out, but for the first time she felt as though everything might actually be all right. She was sad, she was miserable, she was trapped here with no way to escape, but she was not alone and that was all that mattered to her. She could cry in comfort, in safety, and in the end, everything would turn out all right.

She wasn't sure how long she cried, but her sobs finally began to come under her control and she lay in the monster's arms, calming herself down with soft, hitching breaths. It was rocking her in its arms again, the motion soothing her and making her sleepy. She laid her cheek against its bony chest and closed her eyes. The strange monster certainly wouldn't have been her first choice of people to snuggle with, but it wasn't unpleasant either. She felt its fingers come back up and rub the back of her neck again, and she reached out and guided them up a bit so that they were touching her hair. It seemed to get the idea and was soon smoothing her soft purple hair with its long fingers.

She sighed in gentle, relieved contentment and drifted off to sleep while the creature held her and looked out over the sunset painted sea.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

She woke up because she felt herself moving. She was being lifted. She opened her eyes a bit and saw that it was completely dark out. And she was moving. She was being carried, upright, her feet dangling, her bottom supported, her head against someone's shoulder, as though she were a little child being carried by her mother. But it wasn't her mother who was carrying her. She knew that. But it was all right. She knew she was safe, that the one who was carrying her wasn't going to hurt her. She slipped her arms around the Boogieman's neck to steady herself in its arms a bit and laid her head back on its shoulder. Sleep was calling her back, and its voice was enticing.

She felt herself moving for quite a while as the creature picked its way among the piles of refuse, but eventually she felt it stoop down and then she was surrounded by a stronger darkness. The voice of the wind was muffled and the chill in the air was reduced.

She opened her eyes a crack and saw that they were back in the shelter. The Boogieman moved over to the window and laid her down beside it, then moved over to the other end of the room, where she heard it set something else down. It must have remembered to bring her pack back with it was well. Thankfully. Then it came back over to her and lay down beside her. It reached out an arm and gently draped its black cloak over her. It was soft and warm and her remaining chilliness disappeared. The monster's presence beside her made her feel safe and protected, and its hissing breathing, once strange and irritating to her, was now a comforting, familiar sound. A smile touched her lips as she began to drift back toward sleep with the Boogieman beside her.

"Thank you," she whispered.


	6. Recovery

Recovery

She woke up to the smell of blood. Opening her eyes a crack, Noodle saw that the shelter was lit up brightly by the rising sun. Morning. She moved to turn over so that her back was to the window and found that she was still covered up by the Boogieman's cape. As the memories of last night came flooding back, Noodle sat up with a start, looking all around the shelter.

She was alone. There was no sign of the masked creature, other than the cape it had left over her and a blood soaked piece of gauze that was on the floor in the corner. Probably the one that had covered its head wound, given how bloody it was. She wondered where the creature could have gone. She doubted that it had simply abandoned her, since she didn't think it would have left its cape behind if it had left for good, but she wasn't sure where it could have gone off to. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, trying to clear the fuzziness from her head, and as she did so, she realized that she could still smell blood.

She looked around the room again and realized that the smell was coming from a rusty, dented metal washtub that she hadn't noticed before. It was sitting near the door of the shelter, and she crawled over to it, eyeing it with some misgiving, wondering if there was something nasty inside. Steeling herself, she looked inside it, and was greeted with the sight of four headless seagulls, a long silvery fish, and two Superfast Jellyfish, the last two still smiling vacantly at her despite being dead. Such a sight would normally have startled her a bit, but as it was, she could only look at the pile of dead animals and think one thing…

_FOOD!_

She heard the crunching of footsteps outside, and a moment later, the Boogieman entered the shelter, holding two more dead seagulls. Its dark, emaciated body looked even scrawnier without its cloak to give it added bulk, and in turn, made its head look almost comically huge and round. Its body glistened with wetness, as though the creature had been swimming, and its huge green hands, the gloves removed, were covered in white feathers. Blood stained its long, yellow claws. Despite its lack of a face, she could have sworn it looked pleased with itself.

"You brought breakfast!" Noodle chirped at it, surprised to find she was glad to see it.

It looked at her and nodded, then chucked both seagulls into the washtub with an unceremonious _thunk! _That taken care of, it wiped its hands on its pants and moved over to the window, where it had left its clothes. It pulled on the pair of long-fingered leather gloves that Noodle hadn't noticed on the ground before, then slipped its cloak back on over its dark, skeletal body. Noodle realized she was staring again and turned to look back into the washtub in embarrassment. They should probably find some way to make a fire to cook all these goodies. She was sure there would be plenty of scrapwood on the island, and she had a small lighter in her pack, so it shouldn't be too difficult. She heard the Boogieman approach again, and looked up at it. "We need to cook all this," she told it. "Can you help me gather some wood so we can make a fire?"

It nodded again, then went out the door. Noodle followed it, and the two of them split up to search the area for firewood. As she picked her way among the piles of trash, scooping up what wood she could find, she pondered last night's events, a bit baffled about what had taken place. The strange monster certainly didn't seem like the type of creature who would take pity on crying girls…but it had, and she wasn't quite sure why. Had it merely been trying to repay her for helping it the night before? She supposed that she could understand that, at least…but even so, a demon didn't seem like the type of being who would care about paying back debts. Unless it wasn't a demon… She still knew absolutely nothing about it, and she obviously couldn't ask it anything about itself, unless she wanted a blank look for an answer.

But she supposed that the important thing was that it HAD helped her. And she was grateful. If it hadn't shown up last night, she wasn't sure what would have happened to her…what she would have done. _Would I have…would I have done something to myse-? _She didn't want to finish the thought. It made pain and anger and embarrassment come flooding back, and she didn't want to have to deal with all that again. Not right now, anyway.

She stooped down and picked up one more piece of scrapwood, this one a broken table leg, and decided that that was enough. Readjusting her burden so it was easier to carry, she headed back to the shelter.

The Boogieman was already out front with a pile of its own scrapwood that it had gathered. Noodle added her bundle of wood to the pile and saw that they had plenty of wood for a roaring bonfire. Her stomach began to growl as she thought of the food inside the shelter that was sitting there, waiting to be cooked.

"I'll need you to clean the stuff you caught," she told the Boogieman. It looked at her blankly, its head cocked slightly to the side. She knew what that meant. "Clean it," she repeated for the confused creature. "Take off the feathers, take out the guts, take off the feet, that sort of thing. Just leave the meat attached. Can you do that?"

It hesitated a bit, as though thinking, but then nodded at her. "Okay," said Noodle. "You bring the stuff outside and clean it, and I'm going to go get a few things. I'll be right back."

She started searching among the garbage for scrap metal, trying to find long thin pieces that they could use for skewers. She finally located a few pieces that she thought would work, and she picked them up. Then she scooped up handfuls of old newspapers, making sure to find the driest pieces. When she had everything she needed, and brought it back to the shelter, where the Boogieman was sitting in front of the old washtub, its green hands covered in blood. Its long claws had proven ideal for slicing and gutting the birds and fish, and it now had what looked like six miniature, dark-meat chickens and an awkwardly filleted fish in the washtub in front of it.

Her stomach growling even harder, Noodle set to work clearing an area that was free of anything that might burn. They definitely didn't want to risk setting the surrounding garbage on fire. She moved aside combustible material and placed metal and other things that wouldn't burn down in its place, until there was a nice fireproof substrate on which to build the fire. She even placed larger metal objects in a ring around the makeshift "fire pit," just as she would rocks around a campfire. When she had made the spot as safe as she could, she piled some of the wood they had gathered on top of it. Then she went back into the shelter and dug the green cigarette lighter and a pair of handkerchiefs out of her pack. Returning outside, she crumpled the newspapers she had gathered and set them on top of the wood. She lit the papers with a flick of the lighter and watched them ignite. They burned quickly and brightly, and soon the little blaze had spread to the wood below. Once she was sure the fire would not go out, she picked up the metal "skewers" and wiped them as clean as she could get them on her dress, then stuck them into the flames, hoping the fire would at least kill anything nasty on them that might make her sick. Once they were disinfected to her satisfaction, she wrapped the handkerchiefs around the end of each one, hoping that the cloth would insulate their hands from the soon to be hot metal. Once everything was ready, she went back over to the Boogieman. It had been watching her with interest while she had made the fire, and now looked up at her as she approached.

"Okay, we're ready to cook it," she told the monster. She had it slice the long fish in half, then she threaded three of the seagulls, half the fish and one of the jellyfish onto each skewer. She gave one to the Boogieman, then took the other for herself. Moving back to the fire, she held her skewer near the flames, but not in them or directly over them, and rotated it slowly to let the meat cook on all sides as well as prevent all the juices from running off the birds. The meat began to snap and sizzle immediately, and Noodle's mouth began to water as the smell of it reached her nose. She wanted to reach out and rip off a piece of meat from one of the seagulls, but she had to remind herself to wait until they were fully cooked, or there would be a good chance of making herself sick. Gulls were filthy birds, after all. Fortunately, they were also fairly small, and so she didn't think it would take longer than five or so minutes before they were done. She could wait a little longer.

The Boogieman stuck its skewer directly into the fire, and there was a _fwoosh _sound as every piece of meat on it went up in flames.

"No, don't do that!" Noodle shouted, looking for a place to set her own skewer down. She rested it awkwardly against the pile of unused firewood and rushed to the Boogieman's side. It was waving the flaming meat around frantically as though it were trying to put out the flames. "Here, give it to me!" Noodle demanded, reaching out and prying the metal stick from the startled monster's hand. She blew on it as hard as she could, managing to extinguish the fire after huffing and puffing a bit, then surveyed the damage. The seagulls and fish were burnt in a few places, but thankfully, they still looked salvageable. "Here, let me show you how to cook it," she said to the creature. It hesitantly came over to her side and she gently placed the stick back in its hands. She adjusted its fingers a bit, showing it how to hold the stick so that it could be rotated properly, then guided the skewer back into the fire, this time off to the side, like her own had been. "If you stick it right into the fire like you did, the heat will make all the fat and oil in the birds catch fire," she told the creature. "And if you put it directly above the flame, the same thing will happen. Heat rises, you see, so it's hottest there. Put it off to the side, so that the heat will cook the meat, but not burn it. Then spin it, like this," she said, as she guided the monster's fingers, showing it how to rotate the skewer. "That way, the meat will cook on all sides." She watched as the creature slowly rotated the stick in its fingers, keeping it out of the flames this time. "There, you've got it," she said, smiling at it. She gave it a gentle pat on the arm before moving back to her side of the fire and picking her own skewer back up.

Just as she'd thought, it didn't take very long before the meat was done, and then the two of them sat down next to each other on the overturned washtub ands got to work on it. She pulled the jellyfish off first and looked at it with some slight misgiving. It was still smiling at her, despite being fully cooked and having had a skewer shoved between its eyes. This dampened her appetite slightly, but she had to remind herself that people ate these things every day and seemed quite fond of them, so they couldn't be THAT bad. Besides, they were full of water, and water was definitely something that was in short supply here. She glanced over at the Boogieman and saw that it had ripped its own jellyfish to pieces already and was eagerly slurping the tentacles through the snout of its mask. Its fingers were stained with the invertebrate's dark juices. IT certainly seemed to be enjoying the jellyfish.

Screwing up her courage, Noodle stuck the entire jellyfish into her mouth and slurped it down in one gulp, which was the popular way to eat them. It went down surprisingly easily and strangely enough, tasted a bit like chicken. It certainly wasn't the best thing she had ever eaten, but it was definitely edible, and her stomach accepted it gratefully. She pushed aside a sudden mental picture of the jellyfish floating in her stomach juices, still smiling serenely, and moved on to the piece of fish. She tore the flaky bits of meat from the bones and shoved them into her mouth, savoring the flavor only for a moment, then swallowing them quickly and shoving more into her mouth. She didn't care that she was eating like a pig or that the juices from the fish were running down her chin. It was food, and she wanted it in her stomach as quickly as possible and that was all that mattered. She gobbled the rest of the fish off the bone, tossed it aside and moved on to the first seagull.

She paused a moment to glance at the Boogieman, wanting to make sure that it wasn't having any trouble eating the meat through its mask. It didn't seem to be, since it had finished the fish and had already started to eat the seagull, tearing pieces of meat from the breast of the bird and shoving them into the snout of its mask, then tipping its head back slightly and gulping them down, looking a bit like a bird itself. As she watched, it ripped a tiny drumstick from the seagull and stuck the end of it into its snout. It slurped loudly, then pulled the bone back out, completely clean, and flicked it aside.

Noodle giggled.

It paused and glanced over at her.

She grinned at it. "Do it again," she giggled.

It looked at her blankly, its head cocked to the side, as though it found her reaction bewildering.

She gave it her best winning smile. "Please?" she asked with syrupy sweetness. On a whim, she grabbed one of the drumsticks from her own seagull and waved it in the monster's face.

It hesitated a moment more before apparently deciding to indulge her. It leaned over and let her stick the drumstick into its snout. A moment later it had slurped the meat down, leaving her holding a bare bone.

She tossed the bone aside, still laughing and pulled the second drumstick from the carcass. The Boogieman obligingly let her feed it the other drumstick, slurping a bit louder this time, as though actually trying to entertain her, and Noodle dissolved into giggles. It really wasn't that funny, but damn it, after everything that had happened, it felt good to laugh at something, even if it was something as inane as the Boogieman's table manners.

She paused to take a breath in the middle of her giggling, and the Boogieman stuck another drumstick into her open mouth.

"Mmmph!" Noodle said in surprise, her mouth full of seagull. She looked up and saw that the monster had turned its head away from her, as though trying to hide its own snickers.

Quickly, Noodle scraped the meat from the bone with her teeth and pulled the bone out. "I'll get you for that," she said with around a mouthful of food, flicking the bone at the creature. It hit the back of its head and bounced off, and the creature turned its head back to look at her. Noodle pounced, seizing its long, ridiculous nose in both hands and holding onto it. The Boogieman froze, looking completely thunderstruck.

"I like your nose," was all Noodle said, still in that sweet voice. She batted her eyelashes at the monster.

It stared at her, dumbfounded, for a few moments before shaking its head slightly side to side, reminding her of a dog trying to free its snout from a similar predicament. She laughed harder at it and released its nose. It pulled away, and put one hand on its nose protectively, then stared at her, head cocked to the side again.

Noodle laughed again and patted it on the back affectionately. "You're a good sport," she told it, smiling at it.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that, while goofing around could be nice, eating was even nicer. She turned back to her breakfast and started ripping pieces of meat from the seagull and devouring them. It tasted like dry, slightly tough chicken, but in her current state, Noodle found it delicious. She wolfed the meat down, and beside her, the Boogieman did the same, and silence fell over them as they contentedly finished their breakfast.

In the end, the two of them made short work of every single thing the Boogieman had caught, and soon they were surrounded by nothing but bones. Noodle wiped her mouth on her sleeve, feeling full and content, while beside her, the monster tried to wipe seagull grease from its snout with its cloak. Noodle decided that the only thing the meal needed was a bit of water to wash it all down, so she got up and went into the shelter, where she dug the second water bottle out of her pack. She took a few swigs of the warm water, letting it wash the greasy taste out of her mouth, then poured the Boogieman's ration of water into its water bowl.

"You must be thirsty," she said kindly, as she exited the shelter and brought the creature its water dish. It reached out to take the bowl from her, but, on another whim, Noodle hung onto it and instead raised it up to the creature's snout herself. She found something sweet and tender about letting it drink from her hands and she didn't know why, but she wanted that right now. It didn't seem inclined to argue and stuck its snout into the dish, slurping the water down in three long gulps.

Once it was finished, Noodle set the dish aside and sat back down next to the monster. Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her hand on its own. "Listen," she said, a bit awkwardly. "I want to thank you for…for all this. For the food, and for…for last night…" She felt her face turning redder than a tomato, but she made herself continue. The creature deserved a proper thank you. "For staying with me when…when you…found me." _For not abandoning me like I was nothing… _"I don't know what I would have done if…I…I…I mean…it..it meant a lot…." She stared at her feet, feeling herself blush harder as she stuttered incoherently. "Thank you," she finally finished. "Just, thank you." She hesitantly slipped her arms around the monster and gave it a gentle hug.

For a long moment, she felt it stiffen in her arms, and she wondered if perhaps she'd gone a touch too far and made it uncomfortable, but then she felt its arm slip around her shoulder and draw her a bit nearer. Its hand came up and it gently stroked her hair with a single finger.

The tiny little gesture told Noodle all that she needed to know, and she grinned. It liked her. It wasn't just doing this out of some uncharacteristic kindness or to repay her for helping it. It actually liked her.

_At least somebody does…_ she thought as she wrapped her arms around it tightly. It let her, and the two of them sat there contentedly for several minutes while they listened to the crackling of the bonfire as it burned itself out.

"Do you have a name?" Noodle murmured, her cheek once against resting against the monster's chest. She wasn't sure why she asked, since it couldn't have told her its name even if it did have one, but she would have like to have had something to call it, something to think of it as other than "the creature," or Murdoc's silly name of "The Boogieman." Not really expecting an answer, she was surprised when she looked up and saw it shake its head.

"No name?" she said. "None at all?"

It shook its head again.

"I can relate," she said, laying her head back against its chest. "I don't really have a name either. At least, I don't know my real name. 'Noodle' is just the name my fr-, uh, I mean, bandmates gave me when I was a little girl. It was the only English word I could say." She chuckled a bit, remembering. "Maybe I should give you a name," she said to the Boogieman. "If you want me to, that is," she hastily amended. She probably shouldn't be presumptuous. Maybe it was just fine with not having a name.

It cocked its head to the side, considering her words, and then nodded.

"Really?" she asked, a bit surprised. When it nodded again, she set to work trying to come up with something. She really wasn't good at naming things. She supposed she could name it something to do with its appearance. Creepy? Pinocchio? Gasmask? Skeleton-man?

She laughed out loud. Those were AWFUL! She had to come up with something better. She tried to think of something else about the monster that might be a source of inspiration. Something about pirates? It had been leading pirates when she'd first met it. Something about hunting? It had certainly proven that it was good at that. Maybe something from the song it had "sung" for her last night? Of course, last night was a bit of a jumble in her mind, and she wasn't sure she could even remember any of the lyrics of that song. She tried to think back and recall them, but she couldn't remember anything but a little snippet. Something like…

"Sun moon stars," she said to herself.

The Boogieman looked at her for a moment, then nodded its head.

Noodle burst out laughing. "No, no!" she frantically tried to correct it. "That wasn't the name I picked out!" She laughed even harder at the absurdity of it. "I was just thinking out loud, trying to remember the words to the song you sang for me. I thought maybe I could come up with some inspiration from them. I wasn't naming you Sunmoonstars!" She giggled hysterically. "Sunmoonstars" made all the other names she'd come up with sound positively dignified. "That name makes you sound like a Hippie!"

The creature looked at her and shrugged slightly, then went back to watching the fire, as though it didn't find this whole business as big of a deal as she did. It probably didn't know what a Hippie was or even that "Sunmoonstars" wasn't a real name. It probably had little idea as to what was a proper name and what wasn't. Noodle realized that she could have named it "Butthead" and it probably would have accepted it without question.

This was absolutely too much, and she dissolved into hysterical laughter, losing her balance and falling off the washtub. "Sunmoonstars" managed to reach out and catch her before she hit the ground, which was probably fortunate, since she likely would have landed on broken glass or sharp pointy metal or something otherwise. The creature hauled her back up onto the washtub and supported her while she tried to get her breath back. It stared at her with its head cocked so far to the side it was practically looking at her sideways. It was probably wondering if she'd lost her mind.

"Sorry, sorry," she gasped out in between bouts of laughter. She took a few deep breaths to try and get her giggling under control. "Listen, 'Sunmoonstars,'" she told it, still snickering a bit. "I've got to come up with a better name for you than that. But I'll have to think about it, because I'm not good at making up names. In the meantime, we should probably get going." She offered a hand to it, and helped it to its feet. "We've got a lot of work to do, because we're finding a way to get off this island."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**Mmmm….filthy garbage gulls. Pass the salt, please!**

**Anyway, now that we know that these two are going to be okay, it's time to see how the boys are doing. Next chapter, we shall find out if they've survived the cyborg's tender affections :P**


	7. Held Hostage

**Held Hostage**

**Yikes, this chapter took forever. I think I might be as tired as Murdoc and 2D are :P**

Murdoc sighed in misery as he and 2D trudged their way across the rainy English countryside. His head hurt. His back hurt. His feet hurt. He was thirsty. He would have ripped out his own heart and traded it for a fucking cigarette. He almost would have ripped his own heart out anyway, if it would have ended this nightmare. He stopped walking for just a moment to take time to wipe the sweat and rain out of his stinging eyes.

He heard the _click_ of a gun being readied behind him and felt the barrel poke into the small of his back.

"Sorry Love," he said in a strangled voice, hurrying to catch up with 2D, who was now a few paces ahead of him. The singer didn't look over at him when Murdoc rejoined him on the old woods path. 2D had stopped talking completely a few days ago and now merely trudged along like a zombie, dully doing whatever he was told to do. He had checked out mentally, and secretly, Murdoc envied him a bit for it. Murdoc himself was still all too aware of the misery he was in and of the fact that more misery was waiting for them down the road.

Perhaps fortunately, he remembered little of the journey that had brought them here. But what little of it he could remember had been just as packed full of misery as the present was and the future would be…

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Cyborg held him at gunpoint and forced him to take the sub to the nearest landmass, which was South America. Murdoc did so, while 2D huddled in the back of the sub and cried, clutching Noodle's cat mask to him. Murdoc wanted to tell him to shut the fuck up, because his crying was pulling at Murdoc's conscience, bringing occasional flickers of guilt to the surface that he really didn't want to have to deal with, but he also didn't want to raise his voice or make any sudden movements or breathe too deeply or even think about anything other than sunshine and lollipops while he had the muzzle of a gun against his temple.

The radio occasionally relayed a message from one of the other subs, their captains wanting to know what was going on, what the plan was now that Plastic Beach was destroyed…and if he had managed to rescue Noodle and the Cyborg. The Cyborg didn't allow Murdoc to answer any of the messages, and when they kept coming, she ordered Murdoc to "Make them go away."

He turned off the radio and forced the sub lower in the water, then made a few evasive maneuvers. Since none of the others were expecting this, he soon lost them in the dark water. As the last light from the other subs disappeared from his field of vision, Murdoc felt the last glimmer of hope in his heart disappear with it. Now they were completely cut off from anyone who might have been able to help them. Alone at the bottom of the sea with a killer robot. It sounded like the premise for some shitty sci-fi movie. But he was living it.

The only thing that brought him a bit of comfort was knowing that at least Russel would be safe.

"What now, 'Noodle?'" he asked her, figuring the safest way to keep his brains inside his skull was to play along with her delusions.

Unfortunately, 2D did not share his sentiment. He went immediately from sobbing to screaming as soon as the word "Noodle" had left Murdoc's mouth.

"Don't call her that!" the singer screamed at the top of his lungs. Murdoc didn't dare turn his head around to look at the young man, but he heard his footsteps coming toward him. "She's NOT Noodle! Noodle's dead! She's dead she's dead she's dead she's dead she's dead she's dead she's-"

Then he heard a smack and the singer's voice stopped. A second later he heard a _thunk _as 2D hit the floor. Then silence.

He felt the cyborg lower the arm she must have used to hit 2D with. "Land," she said.

And Murdoc could do nothing else but continue to head for the coast.

Once they reached it, they had to go parallel to it for a while, trying to find a town or some place with roads where they could come ashore, since Murdoc didn't want to end up getting the Stylo car stuck in some jungle or desert or whatever the hell it was that they had in South America. They finally found some pissy little village to come ashore in, and Murdoc transformed the sub back into a car and drove it out of the surf in a James Bond-style entrance that practically made the eyes of the few natives who were around to witness it fall out of their heads. But Murdoc didn't have much time to appreciate the spectacle he'd made. As soon as the car was safely onto dry land, he felt something hit the back of his head. Then there was pain, and then blackness.

He remembered little of the following days. He woke up, tied up on the floor of the car's back seat, 2D next to him. The cyborg must have been driving. He couldn't see anything but the interior of the car and a little patch of blue sky out the window. He didn't know where they were or where she was planning on taking them. He assumed they were still in South America, but he had no idea where. Sometimes he saw flashes of foliage outside the window, and for a while he felt the car moving upward, as if they were going over hills or along mountain roads. But he could see none of it, and the pain in his head made him drift in and out of consciousness, so it was impossible for him to even know how long he'd been in the car. Once or maybe twice it had been dark when he'd awoken, so he assumed it had been a day or two, but he had no way to be sure.

2D remained unconscious for most of the trip as well. Murdoc suspected that the cyborg had hit him much harder than she had hit Murdoc himself, since there was a nasty purple bruise covering much of the left side of his face. 2D occasionally mumbled something in his sleep, and once Murdoc saw him crying with his eyes closed, but most of the time the blue-haired man was silent and still.

She didn't feed them anything that he could remember, but he did remember her sticking a water bottle into his mouth a few times. And he had dim memories of the car stopping a couple of times and him being untied and allowed to get out and take a piss. The cyborg got out with him and kept that gun on him the whole time and when he was done, she tied him back up and stuffed him back into the car. He never tried to run away. He was quite sure he would regret it if he did. And the areas were always isolated, with no place to run to. He remembered her taking 2D out after he had been put back in, but he heard no sound from the singer during those times, which worried him. He didn't think the idiot could afford to lose anymore brain cells, and Murdoc knew that HE couldn't afford to lose his singer. 2D was easily the most popular member of the band, and he would not be easily replaced if he died or went back to being a vegetable. Besides, Murdoc had already learned the folly of attempting to replace his bandmates.

_Noodle…oh fuck, Noodle, I'm…I'm….no, she wanted to go out there. She WANTED to fight. I didn't ask her. I didn't ask her. I told her not to. None of this would be happening if she'd just left with us when I said. It's not my fault. I didn't ask her I didn't ask her I didn't ask her I DIDN'T!_

Murdoc began to find that he welcomed the moments of unconsciousness when they came.

Once or twice, the car had stopped and the cyborg had gotten out alone. He didn't know why. Maybe she was refueling or getting supplies or something. He had made sure the sub had been stocked with plenty of fuel and also a supply of money, food and water, in case he'd had to flee the island in a hurry, so they had everything they needed, but it was possible they had driven far enough for the car to need more fuel. Murdoc had tried screaming for help the first time, which had resulted in him getting gagged. After that, he just stayed still and surrendered himself to whatever fate lay ahead.

After these stops, the cyborg simply sped on again, sometimes driving so fast that Murdoc became quite glad that he couldn't see out the window. He became certain that she was going to get them killed, even if she didn't kill them herself. He was certain that the roads in South America were in deplorable shape. It was a shitty Third World hole, after all. He was sure that every steep mountain road lacked a guardrail, every blind corner had some crazy fool barreling around it at 100 kilometers per hour in the opposite direction, and every low point was flooded with piranha infested swamp water. Warning signs were nonexistent, potholes were the size of moon craters, and bandits had set traps everywhere to catch the unwary. As time passed and the pain in his head made him more and more delirious, every nasty Latin American stereotype he had ever heard seemed to merge together with all the others until a horrific Death World of Communist guerilla fighters, kidnappers who sent your body parts in the mail along with their ransom notes, sadistic drug runners, organ harvesters, thieves who would slit your throat for a single coin, and jaguars and spear carrying savages in parasite infested jungles all lurked just outside the windows Murdoc thankfully couldn't see out of. _I'm going to die…I'm going to die and the only questions are when and how horribly. _And as he resigned himself to this fact, a part of him found it rather fitting that he was going to die at the metaphorical, if not literal, hands of the image of the woman he was responsible for killing.

_NO! It isn't my fault! I didn't want this! I TOLD her not to go. I told her not to go…but I made her take the cyborg, I pissed off the Boogieman, I pissed off the pirates, my carelessness got the cyborg shot and made her malfunction, I had the metal bitch built in the first place, I put Noodle on that island and in the way of those helicopters, I didn't look for her when I told everyone I was going to…I didn't know WHERE to look, but I should have at least tried…but…but I…_

_I TOLD her not to go. She could have listened. I told her not to go. Everything would have worked out fine if she had just listened. It's not my fault…please…please don't have it be my fault…I didn't mean it…oh fuck…I didn't fucking mean it…_

He didn't know how long they had driven, but eventually the cyborg began to drive more slowly, he heard the sounds of other traffic on the road, and occasionally glimpsed buildings out what little of the window he could see. They were in a city.

The cyborg finally stopped the car and got out. This time, she was gone for what seemed like hours. Murdoc began to grow worried that she had malfunctioned further and simply forgotten about them, leaving them to die in the car (Murdoc was quite thankful the day was overcast, which at least kept the vehicle from becoming dangerously hot). He tried to work free of his bonds while she was gone, but they held tight and he only succeeded in wedging himself painfully between the seatback and the floor during his struggles. Then he could do nothing but wait and hope for her return. As he waited, he realized that he could hear planes passing overhead quite regularly. Were they near an airport?

It was completely dark out when the cyborg finally returned. She opened the car door and pulled Murdoc out. He caught a glimpse of foliage and the lights from buildings off in the distance before she slipped a blindfold over his eyes. Then he felt himself picked up and slung over her shoulder.

She carried him for a long way, but he finally felt her stop, and her arms came up. Before he could even try to figure out what was happening, he felt her climbing upwards.

She only climbed for a bit before he could feel himself surrounded by the darkness of indoors. They were inside something. The sounds made by the cyborg's movements had a metallic ring to them as she scurried along. He occasionally felt her climb upwards again or stoop down and half crawl in order to fit into some tight place, and once he painfully hit his head against the wall when she turned a corner sharply, but because of the gag, all he could do was moan slightly and hope she would be more careful with him when she went around the next corner.

Finally, he felt her set him down against what felt like canvass…cushions? They were full of something and relatively soft, although they had painfully hard corners. Still, after lying on the floor of a car for a few days, Murdoc felt almost like he was lying on a feather bed. He heard the cyborg walk away, and he assumed that she was probably going to get 2D. He hoped the singer was all right. He didn't want to be responsible for any more of his bandmates…

He fell asleep before he was able to finish the thought.

When he woke up, his blindfold had been gone, and he saw that he was lying on top of a pile of suitcases in the baggage compartment of an airplane. Which was in flight, judging by the feel of things. 2D was next to him, and his eyes were open and looked alert, thankfully. Murdoc had really begun to worry that the singer had brain damage from the cyborg hitting him. But thankfully, his eyes looked clear and sentient, if a bit pained. The bruise the cyborg had given him had begun to fade, but it was possible that his head still ached from the blow. Or perhaps he had a migraine. Murdoc couldn't ask the blue-haired man, since they were both gagged. He supposed that the cyborg didn't want either of them screaming and alerting the passengers of the plane that there was someone in the baggage compartment.

The cyborg herself was sitting on top of another pile of suitcases, her guns in her lap, staring at them. Her eye still twitched, but it and her nose no longer seemed to be leaking. Maybe all of whatever fluid that had been leaking had run out by now. Maybe she would malfunction further and they could escape when the plane landed and the baggage handlers found them. Or maybe she would run out of power. He actually didn't know how long she was able to go without being recharged, since he had always made sure to recharge her every night back on Plastic Beach. He hadn't wanted to risk her running out of power if the Boogieman had attacked unexpectedly. So she had been fully charged the day she'd kidnapped them, and he didn't know how long her power supply would last. But she had to run out of power sometime. She couldn't keep running indefinitely. And when she did, they would make their escape.

He had no idea how long they were in the air. He and 2D were untied and allowed to eat and drink twice, one at a time, while the cyborg stuck one of her guns against their forehead so they wouldn't think of crying out. She had some sort of backpack with her, although he didn't know where she had gotten it, and she had some supplies that she had either stolen or gotten from the sub in it. The first time Murdoc was fed, he got a gas station turkey sandwich and a pack of stale cookies, the second time, some beef jerky and an unheated cheeseburger. He didn't didn't know what 2D got. The food wasn't much, but since he was so famished after several days of not eating, he accepted it gratefully, and soon both his and 2D's strength began to return.

When he felt the plane begin to land, the cyborg came over to him and picked him up. She stuck him in the corner behind a bunch of luggage and then brought 2D over to join him. The two of them waited there helplessly, not knowing what the cyborg had planned when the plane landed.

The plane was soon on the ground and safely stopped, and then the three of them waited for the doors to the baggage compartment to open. Once they did, Murdoc heard the sound of a very brief scuffle, then the sound of someone falling to the ground. Then the cyborg was standing over them. She seized 2D and then Murdoc heard her running away, toward the door of the baggage compartment. He heard a few voices shouting at her with what sounded like Scottish accents. _Scottish accents? Are we in Scotland? _It certainly seemed strange to be back in Britain after all that time in the Southern Hemisphere, but it sounded as though that was the case.

Then the cyborg was back, picking him up and slinging him over her shoulder again. She ran toward the door and Murdoc saw an unconscious baggage handler lying among the suitcases. Then they were out into the light of an overcast afternoon. The sounds of planes landing, engines idling and people shouting came from every direction, and after being confined in small and quiet spaces for so long, it all came as a sensory overload for Murdoc and he squeezed his eyes shut. Then he felt the cyborg jump and he opened his eyes just in time to see them land on one of the vehicles the airport workers used to haul baggage around. The cyborg threw him into the cab of the vehicle, where 2D was already waiting, then jumped into the driver's seat. With that, she was speeding down the runway, away from the plane and toward the airport itself.

They drove at a breakneck pace, dodging people and other cars, taking tight turns that threw 2D and himself against the inside of the cab, once even crashing through a chain link gate. Murdoc just tried to hang on and kept telling himself that someone would come after them. Airports were always crawling with security. Sooner or later, those security forces would appear and save them. He hoped they would blow that metal bitch into fucking tinsel, too. He and 2D just needed to hang on a little-

They crashed through what looked like a metal garage door and found themselves in what looked like a mechanic's garage. A silvery rental car was in the middle of it, with a man in a mechanic's uniform standing near it. His eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at the three of them.

The cyborg jumped out of the baggage truck. "Keys!" she shouted at the dumbfounded man.

He just stared at her, looking like he was expecting to wake up from a particularly strange nightmare at any moment.

The cyborg raised her guns up, pointing both of them at him. "Keys!" she said again.

This time he gave a little squeak and rushed toward a board on the wall, which held several keys. He located the one for the car the cyborg wanted and took it down with shaking fingers. No sooner had he pulled it off the wall than the cyborg clubbed him with the end of one of her guns. He fell to the floor as the cyborg seized the key from his now senseless hands.

Then she rushed back to the baggage truck and pulled Murdoc out. She brought him over to the rental car and he once again found himself on the floor in the back seat. 2D was thrown in a moment later and then they were driving.

He didn't know how she got the car out of the rental car dealership and onto the road without being chased and apprehended. He couldn't see a thing out the windows from where he was, just like before. But somehow she must have been able to blend in and get out before their thievery had been discovered. Then it was back to endless driving while Murdoc lay miserably on the car's floor and wondered where the hell they were going now and what they would do when they got there.

But that rental car must have been in the shop for a reason, because soon the engine began to sputter and eventually the car must have died, because it stopped completely and he heard the cyborg get out. A moment later, she had pulled him out and hurriedly untied him.

She dragged him over to the hood of the car, which had black smoke coming from it, and pointed to it. "Fix it," she demanded.

Murdoc stared at the smoking hood helplessly. He had absolutely no idea what was wrong with it, and even if he did, he had no tools or anything like that. He didn't know how to fix it. He was no good with mechanical things. Contrary to what he'd told everyone, he hadn't actually built the cyborg himself but had contracted the job out to some shady engineers and scientists. He couldn't change a flat tire, let alone fix a car or build a cyborg.

"Doll, I'm not…I'm not good at fixing shit," he said softly, trying to break the news to her gently so she wouldn't kill him. "I don't know how to fix it. I think it's probably as good as dead. I…I'm sorry, Love." He swallowed nervously and waited for her reaction.

To his surprise, she took the gun away from the back of his head and stomped away from him. Before he could even comprehend his temporary freedom, he heard the car door open again and then 2D yelp. A second later the cyborg was dragging him over to the hood of the car.

"Fix it!" she told the terrified 2D, pointing at the hood once again.

"H-H-_HUH?" _2D stammered, looking from the car to the cyborg to Murdoc.

"FIX IT!" the cyborg shouted again. She waved her gun at the frightened singer.

Murdoc intervened before things could get any worse. "He doesn't know how to fix cars either," he told the cyborg. "You know Dullard…he's just a pretty face and a healthy set of lungs. He doesn't have any _practical _skills!" Murdoc forced a nervous laugh. "He and I, we're just not the mechanical type." When the cyborg's expression did not lighten, Murdoc tried to come up with an alternative plan. "We'll just have to walk, Love," he said to the cyborg. "Don't worry, 2D and I will behave ourselves, and we'll keep our eyes peeled for another car to steal. We'll get to wherever we're going." He gave her a big fake smile.

The cyborg remained silent for a minute or two, and Murdoc could hear a soft whirring in her head as she must have thought over his suggestion. Then she finally raised her gun and pointed it at the two of them. She gestured toward the south. "Walk," she said.

Murdoc and 2D walked. This quickly took them away from the road and soon they were making their way through open country, but Murdoc didn't mind so much. At least she hadn't killed them.

After about an hour of walking in silence, Murdoc risked a look over his shoulder. The cyborg was walking behind them, both guns still pointed at them, and she was smiling, much like she had been when she'd first taken them prisoner. Hoping she was in a better mood now (if robots could even have moods, anyway) Murdoc decided to ask the question that had been on his mind ever since this trip from Hell had begun.

"Love, where are we going?" he asked her.

She smiled even wider. "Home," she told him.

_Home? Somewhere in Britain? Did she mean Kong? _It confused him, because she's never lived at Kong. But she did think she was the real Noodle, and Noodle had lived at Kong, so maybe she was trying to recreate the old days…with her in the place of the original Noodle. He didn't know for sure, but it was his best guess. "Do you mean Kong Studios?" he asked her. "Is that where you want to go?"

She continued to smile at him. "Home," she said again.

Murdoc gave up. "'Home' it is then," he said, turning to face forward once again. "Lead the way." But if his guess was correct, then it gave him a glimmer of hope. If they were indeed in Scotland, then it would take them a long time to walk all the way to Essex. The cyborg was bound to run out of power before then.

At least, he hoped she was. Because if she didn't, and they got to Kong and she saw that it was nothing but charred ruins, there was no telling what she would do to them.

Murdoc put the thought from his mind and kept walking.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Now they were walking down some God-forsaken path in the middle of nowhere. Murdoc didn't know if they were still in Scotland or if they were now in England or if they had somehow ended up in fucking China. He knew they were headed south, so they were probably headed vaguely in the direction of Essex, but he honestly had no clue if the cyborg knew where she was going, like a dog from one of those sappy "Incredible Journey" type stories, or if she was just wandering blindly. And she showed no signs of slowing down, even if 2D and he were growing exhausted. They only took time for bathroom breaks and sleep, eating and drinking while they walked. The cyborg made them stop and "camp" for the night as soon as it got too dark to see where they were going, and she stood watch over them, silent and completely unmoving, until the sun came back up. The morning after the second night, there had actually been a tiny spider busily spinning a little web between her hair and shoulder. But while the weather the first two days was overcast but dry and reasonably warm, the weather on this day was rainy and miserable. So when they stopped for the night, Murdoc had absolutely no idea how the two of them were going to be able to get any sleep. They had no tent or sleeping bag or any kind of gear, and the ground was a puddly, muddy mess. He looked at the cyborg, wondering if it was even worth it to try and protest, then looked over at 2D, who had silently and obediently laid himself down in the soggy grass, his back to the both of them.

That settled things, and he approached the cyborg. "'Noodle,' Love," he said to her, keeping his tone as non-confrontational as possible, "it's too wet for us to be sleeping outside like this. We aren't r-" He paused. Calling her a robot was likely to piss her off. "We aren't tough like you are," he said instead. "The cold and the rain aren't good for us. We'll get sick if we sleep outside in it. 2D'll get sick," he said, gesturing toward the singer's prone form. "He's not doing so well, you know. Doesn't look very good. He could be sick already. And you don't want him to get worse, do you _Noodle?" _He emphasized the name, trying to appeal to any bonds of kinship she might feel for the two of them due to their relationship to the real Noodle. "You and 2D were always so close," he reminded her. "You two have a 'Zen bond,' or something like that, don't you?"

He heard that soft whirring coming from her head again as she thought this over, then a louder whir from her eyes as they scanned the woods around them. Finally, she gestured with one of her guns off to the left of the path. Murdoc looked where she was pointing but saw nothing but wet and dripping foliage. Still, he knew better than to argue with the cyborg. He went over and roused 2D, helping the wet and muddy singer to his feet and slipping one of his arms over his shoulder, helping to support him. Then he followed after the cyborg, pushing aside wet leaves and branches with his free hand as he left the path.

The ground immediately began to slope upward into a sleep hill that was lined with brittle, orangish stone. The cyborg climbed a short ways up this slope and then veered off to the left again, leading them to a sort of "wall" of this same stone. There was an opening towards the bottom of this wall, only a few feet high, but big enough for a person to crawl into. A cave.

The cyborg gestured toward this with her gun again. Murdoc stooped down and pushed 2D into the opening. "C'mon D," he said, giving 2D's behind a gentle shove to get him moving. "It'll be dry in here." Once there was room, he crawled inside after 2D.

The cave didn't go very far back, but it did open up a bit inside, allowing the two of them to lie down comfortably, and the floor, although rocky and grimy, was dry. The cyborg did not come inside after them, instead remaining at the entrance of the cave as a guard, and, although the cave was not very large, it gave them the most privacy they had had in days.

Murdoc had 2D lie down at the very end of the cave, then he lay down next to him, trying to use his body to shield the singer from any drafts that came from the entrance. 2D was shivering, and Murdoc hadn't been completely lying when he'd told the cyborg he was worried about the singer getting sick. Murdoc had never liked 2D, but he was Murdoc's only companion and confidant in this nightmare, and Murdoc needed him if he was ever to salvage what was left of his band when all this was over. And…damn it, but he didn't want any more of his bandmates to die because of his own stupid, selfish mistakes. Since he couldn't save Noodle, he would do what he could to save 2D. He would consider it some twisted form of Penance, and if it seemed strange that Murdoc Niccals, the devout Satanist, was seeking Penance for anything…well, the situation was already pretty fucked up right now as it was. What did it matter if it got a little stranger? He sighed to himself and brushed 2D's wet, blue hair out of his eyes.

2D stirred slightly, and Murdoc heard him mumble something to himself.

The young man hadn't spoken in days, so Murdoc was startled. Startled and interested in finding out just what 2D had said. He leaned closer to 2D's ear, keeping his voice low so the cyborg wouldn't hear them. "What's that, D?" he whispered.

"Go away," he heard 2D whimper.

Murdoc blinked in surprise. "Eh?" he said.

"Go away," 2D repeated. "I hate you."

The singer's words cut through any and all defenses he still had left and Murdoc felt an unfamiliar stinging in his eyes. He squeezed them shut and cleared his throat a bit, but when he spoke, there was still a bit of thickness in his voice.

"Yeah, I know D," he said softly. "I…I hate me too."

Strangely enough, the admission seemed to bring 2D a bit of comfort, and Murdoc felt him relax slightly. "I don't wanna die," he heard 2D whimper.

"You aren't going to die," Murdoc reassured him. "I won't let that happen, all right?"

When 2D spoke again, there was an uncharacteristic harshness in his soft, high voice. "You'll protect me like you protected Noodle?"

Murdoc shushed him. "Quiet D, the cyborg'll hear you." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "And…and…I won't make the same mistake twice. I won't let her hurt you, D. I promise."

2D was quiet for a time. Then, Murdoc heard him say softly: "I never thought I'd see her again. And now, I never will."

Murdoc knew he was talking about Noodle. "Yeah, D, I know. I miss her a lot too. She was a hell of a girl. Never met such a talented guitarist. The cyborg is shit compared to her. I always suspected that she was the reason our new album didn't do as well as the others."

"Yeah," 2D agreed softly. "But she was more than just a guitarist."

"I know," Murdoc said. "She was a nice girl…a fun girl…a damn lovely girl. You know, none of the rest of us ever got along that well, but with her around, we all kind of needed to, you know? 'Cause we needed to take care of her when she was younger, and then later on because we wanted to keep her happy. She was like the glue that held us all together. And she could always make all of us laugh…and, no matter how many shitty things we…I…did, she still stood by me."

2D didn't say anything in reply to that, and Murdoc closed his eyes, trying to deal with all the feelings he was quite out of practice facing. The two of them lay there silently, lost in their grief, and Murdoc in his guilt.

He didn't know how much time had passed before 2D finally spoke again. "Where is she?" the singer wanted to know.

It took Murdoc a moment to realize he was talking about the cyborg and not Noodle. "She's outside the cave entrance," he told 2D, relieved that the subject had been changed. "She's standing guard out there. In the rain. And," Murdoc chuckled slightly, "if we're lucky, all that water'll make her rust solid. We'll find her tomorrow morning, standing there helplessly like the Tin Man, mumbling 'Oil can!'"

2D laughed softly at this as well, and Murdoc patted him on the shoulder. "But even if she doesn't rust, she still isn't going to keep working much longer," Murdoc told the singer, lowering his voice to the barest of whispers and speaking directly into 2D's ear. "She hasn't been charged up in days. She'll run out of power soon, and then we can escape."

"But what if she doesn't run out until we get to Kong?" 2D wanted to know. "There're probably still zombies there, and we won't have anything to fight them off with."

"So we'll take her guns," Murdoc whispered. "Once she's out of power, she won't stop us from taking them, and we'll use the guns to blast our way through the zombie hoards and get the hell out of there. And then, I'll take you wherever you want to go. Anywhere. I'll take you to a real tropical resort where you can relax and recover, or I'll take you back home to Crawley, to your parents, or I'll take you to Vegas and we'll go cruising and get into all sorts of mischief, or I'll take you to Disneyland, or…or…anywhere you want. I know that doesn't even begin to make up for all the shit I've done, but I'll still do what I can."

"Anywhere?" 2D asked him. "We can go anywhere?"

"Anywhere," Murdoc promised him.

"St. Johns," said 2D.

"Eh?" said Murdoc. _St. Johns? Why the hell would 2D want to go there?_

"And then I want us to open up a little scone shop," 2D went on.

Murdoc just managed to contain his laughter. "Swan shaped scones?" he asked the singer, grinning from ear to ear.

"Mhm," 2D said. "And you have to serve tea and make charming small talk with all the little old ladies who come into our shop."

Murdoc chuckled. "Anything you want, D. I'll even wear lace and sing 'I'm a Little Teapot' while I do it."

"And you have to have tastefully framed Bible quotes all over the walls," said 2D mischievously.

"Hey!" Murdoc gave 2D a phony smack on the arm. "I'm willing to be punished for all the shit I've done, but that's going too bloody far!"

2D laughed softly. "You're willing, huh? I guess I'll have to think up some more ways to embarrass you then."

Murdoc laughed too. "You do that Dullard. But for now, get some sleep, all right? I don't want you to get sick. Like I said, the cyborg will run out of power one of these days, and then this will all be over. I just need you to hold on until then."

"M'kay," 2D mumbled, closing his black eyes. Murdoc waited a bit, until the singer's breathing became slow and even and even. When he was sure 2D was asleep, he slipped his arms around the young man's lanky body, doing his best to keep him warm against the cold, rainy night.

"'Night, D," he whispered.


	8. Desperate Measures

Desperate Measures

**Sorry for such a late update. Real life's been getting in the way.**

**Just a warning that there is a bit of naughty language in this chapter. Shame on you, Russel! :P**

Russel sighed as he looked out at the city of Valparaiso from his hotel suite. Everywhere he looked, beautiful and charming white buildings sprawled up the surrounding hillsides or clustered down around the seashore. Trolley busses darted this way and that on the streets below and strange, tilted cable cars trundled busily up and down the hills. The warm, gentle breeze brought the scent f the seashore, a real seashore, not the filthy mockery that was Plastic Beach, to his nose, and somewhere he could hear Latin music playing. Normally, such a place would be ideal for a relaxing vacation, especially after the long, tiring and miserable swim he had endured on his way to Plastic Beach. But right now, Russel looked down at the lovely, Chilean city without seeing a single square foot of it. Because all he could think about was Noodle, Murdoc, and 2D. They had disappeared without a trace, and Russel had no idea how to go about finding them. And now he was cooling his heels in some hotel room with absolutely no idea what to do next.

He had apparently passed out when the Evangelist shot him with that white light, because he remembered nothing after being hit by it except falling in the water. When he had finally woken up, he had been aboard one of Murdoc's submarines and had been both surprised and delighted to find that he had been returned to his normal size. But his happiness was short lived, once he had talked to the crew members of the sub. They told him that Plastic Beach had been destroyed and Murdoc and 2D's sub had disappeared without a trace. None of the subs had been in contact with Murdoc's when it disappeared, so they had no idea what had happened. Worst of all, none of them had rescued Noodle from the water, and they hadn't gotten confirmation from Murdoc that he had done so either. None of them knew for sure if Noodle had been rescued at all, or if she had been left behind to drown.

Upon hearing this grim news, Russel had been frantic, terrified that Noodle had been abandoned to die yet again, and he practically pleaded with the others to return to Plastic Beach to search for her. But apparently, they had gone too far from point Nemo to be able to return there without running out of fuel, and so there was absolutely nothing Russel could do but sit there and go along for the remainder of the ride to South America.

Once there, everyone had been too busy accessing bank accounts, setting up accommodations, and finding transportation back to their homes to listen to his pleas that they return and find his friends. After all, most of them had little appreciation for Murdoc after he had gotten them involved in a dangerous pirate battle and then abandoned them in the middle of the ocean with no warning. And those who he could get to listen to him doubted that Noodle or 2D were in any danger, assuming them to simply be with Murdoc wherever he had gone. In fact, the most Russel had gotten from any of them had been sympathy that Murdoc hadn't brought HIM along to wherever he had disappeared off to as well.

The crew of musicians and Plastic Beach staff had dispersed at last, heading home or off on spontaneous Latin American vacations, and Russel was left alone in his hotel room to try and decide what to do next.

He tore his gaze from the beautiful landscape outside and resumed his pacing of the spacious suite. Several options had presented themselves to him, but without knowing what exactly had happened, there was no way for him to know if any one of them would lead him to his friends. He still had the subs, and he knew he could get one of them refueled and head back to Point Nemo, if that was what he decided to do. But he had no idea if going there would lead him to Noodle and the others or if it would simply be a wild goose chase, since he didn't know if Murdoc had managed to rescue Noodle from the sinking pirate ship and the insane cyborg. And if he had, then Noodle was probably safe, but Russel had no idea where to look for her. And if Murdoc hadn't, then she was probably dead. Drowned, or killed by the cyborg or the pirates. And if she had managed to survive, there was no guarantee that she would still be at Plastic beach (or whatever was left of it). Maybe she was adrift on the open ocean, or she had stowed away aboard a ship or any number of things. There was no way for him to know what had happened, and without knowing that, he could do nothing but chase after shadows.

Russel sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his head in his hands. If only the Evangelist hadn't attacked him. While he appreciated being returned to his normal size, it had prevented him from helping Noodle and the resulting unconsciousness had kept him in the dark about what had happened. Leave it to Murdoc to hire a "holy man" who turned out to be just as two-faced as he was. Fucking Murdoc. This whole mess was his fault, just like every other mess the four of them had ever gotten into. And always, ALWAYS, it was Murdoc's bandmates, rather than Murdoc himself, who ended up paying for his mistakes and his carelessness.

"I'll find you, Baby Girl," Russel said, choking back a sudden attack of grief. Noodle had been like a little sister to him. To all of them, of course, but Russel had always been especially close to her. Murdoc was too much of an asshole and 2D was too much of a space cadet for either of them to form a proper big brother bond. But Russel had always prided him on being the responsible one, and it had been he who had made sure Noodle was safe, that Noodle was properly fed and clothed, that Noodle was protected from their debauchery, that Noodle was _happy, _all the time she was growing up. And then he had been unable to protect her when those helicopters had turned on her and shot her out of the sky. For years he had beaten himself up, hating himself for not being there for her, for letting her down when she had really needed him. And then she had reappeared a few days ago, and he thought he'd been given a second chance, a chance to make it up to her, a chance to show that he would never let her down again. And then he had been knocked unconscious by some crazy freak with a fishbowl on his head and slept through Noodle being killed. Or kidnapped. Or left behind to drown. He'd been twenty times the size of every single antagonist they'd faced on that beach, and he STILL hadn't been able to save her. He was a fucking useless piece of shit and a pathetic excuse for a "big brother." What good was responsibility when you were horribly inept?

But…he also knew that, inept or not, he was the only chance Noodle had. If she was still alive, anyway. He HAD to try and save her. Even if he couldn't, even if he would fail, he knew he still had to at least try. Because she was his little sister, his "Baby Girl." And that was all that mattered. For her, a man had to give his best. Even if his best turned out not to be good enough, he still had to give it to her. She was worth it.

He almost got up and headed for the subs right then and there, determined to find his way back to Point Nemo if it was the last thing he ever did, but he had to remind himself not to be rash. He had to make sure he had a plan. If he went sailing off blindly toward the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he would probably get lost, run out of fuel and die. True, he had done it once before and made it there all right, but that had been due to the most blind of luck. If he hadn't run into that patch of floating, radioactive waste, he wouldn't have grown large enough to make the swim without becoming exhausted and drowning. And if he hadn't come across the cruise ship that Noodle had been on and followed its wake, he probably would have missed Plastic Beach entirely and ended up in Antarctica or something. There was no way he would get that lucky twice. Since he didn't have demons whispering in his ear this time, he had the luxury of thinking clearly, and he knew he should not waste it.

The thought of the ever-present demonic voices made him get up and start pacing restlessly again. They were silent now, but he knew it was only a matter of time before they started up again. They were a constant thorn in his side. Russel had never quite understood why he had been susceptible to the supernatural, but he seen and heard strange things ever since he was young. Whispers in his closet when he was five, calling him bad names. Grasping hands in the doorway in the middle of the night. A pair of red eyes, one hundred yards distant, seen out his bedroom window, watching him. A twisted figure in an alleyway, calling his name, encountered when he was a young teen goofing around with his friends after dark one evening. The supernatural had been a part of his life for a long time. He supposed he had just been born "gifted," although he considered such a thing to be no gift at all. But after Del and his other friends had been exorcised from him, the experiences had increased in frequency and intensity. Perhaps a "gateway" had been opened when they had left, and now demons were free to come through it and make his life miserable. And make him miserable they had. His nervous breakdown several years before had only been partly caused by the loss of his friends' spirits. A good chunk of it was also caused by the incessant whispering, the screams which woke him up in the middle of the night, and the dreams of blood and flesh and twisted perversions. They had ruined his first solo album, hounding him while he was recording it and making their presence known in the backgrounds of all the songs. He had only learned to suppress them enough to lead a relatively normal life in the last year or so, but they still acted up often, especially when he got upset.

And that, he reminded himself, was the last thing he needed. He had to remain calm and keep his head clear. And he had to admit that he found it ironic that clearing all his old friends out of his head had actually left him MORE muddled in the brain than before.

He paused in his pacing as the first disjointed pieces of an idea came to him. He had to wonder…even though all his old friends were gone from his mind, he was clearly still susceptible to the supernatural. Would it be possible to…to contact…someone…from the other side? If he really tried? Not the demons…they certainly wouldn't help him, and he wouldn't trust their help even if they did, but maybe…someone who had passed away? In stories and such, the dead were always good at giving cryptic advice passing important messages on. They always knew things that the living did not. And while he knew that stories were certainly not paragons of truth when it came to anything, let alone the supernatural, he couldn't help wondering if maybe…maybe it was worth a try. If he could contact someone, perhaps they would be able to tell him where Noodle was.

Immediately, his stomach clenched up and he heard the hissing whispers start up again, gradually increasing in volume as though someone was pressing the button on a TV remote. He shook his head to try and clear it, but it did no good. _Go away…go away…_ he begged them. _I don't need this right now…please… _But of course, nicely asking a demon to do something was an exercise in futility akin to trying to drain the ocean with a sieve. He took deep breaths to calm himself, trying to stave off the panic attack he could feel coming. _If I do this…if I try it…there's no telling WHAT could happen. I've never actually TRIED to reach out to the other side before. If this much fucked up shit happens when I'm not even trying, who knows what could happen if I purposely reach out. There's no telling what could come through…and what it could do to me._

The demonic whispers reached a hissing crescendo and Russel swore he could hear laughter in their harsh gibberish. His stomach lurched again, and then he was running toward the bathroom. He just barely managed to get the toilet lid up before he emptied his stomach. He clutched the porcelain bowl in each hand, fighting off subsequent attacks of the dry heaves, trying to keep control, to clear his mind, to push the voices away.

"This is a bad fucking idea…" he groaned to himself.

Immediately, the voices rose up again, whispered louder, and suddenly, for the first time, Russel could make them out clearly.

_Oh no, Russel, it's a lovely idea. A perfectly lovely idea…you do want to save her don't you? Let us out, let us out, let us into you and we'll have such lovely times. We'll find her together and then we'll enjoy her together…we'll do things to her you never dreamed of…and oh, how you'll enjoy it. She'll be so lovely when we take her, she'll scream when we open her up, she'll scream and scream and scream and…_

"SHUT UP!" he screamed. "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU FUCKING SONS OF BITCHES, YOU COCK-SUCKING PUSSY-LICKING PIECES OF FUCKING SHIT! YOU TRY AND HARM ONE HAIR ON HER HEAD, AND I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL END EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU. I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND FIND YOU AND END YOUR SHIT! JUST _TRY _ME! TRY ME YOU FUCKERS! I CAN'T FUCKING _WAIT!"_

The voices stopped. It was as though someone had pushed a button and turned them off. One moment, there was a cacophony of hissing whispers in his ear, the next, almost complete silence, broken only by the person in the room above him pounding on the floor in an attempt to get him to stop yelling.

_They're…gone? Just like that? All I had to do was yell at them and they went away? _It seemed too easy. But, he realized, it was also something he had never tried before. He had always run, fled, withdrawn into himself, or cowered and begged them to leave him alone. He had never stood up to any of the supernatural things that had haunted him. He had regarded them as too dangerous, had let them into a position of power over him, and they had taken advantage of it. But perhaps…perhaps it didn't need to be that way.

_Maybe I'm more powerful than I think…I've never tried controlling it, tried using it, tried facing it and harnessing it. But maybe I can. And if I can do that, I can use it to find Noodle. I don't know if it will work…I don't have anyone to teach me or any time to learn. I'm going to have to figure this out on my own, and I'm going to have to do it tonight. Somehow. But I've got to try. I promised her I would do my best, even if it isn't good enough. And that's what I've got to do._

Taking a deep breath and doing his best to banish the doubts from his mind, Russel headed out the door.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

A few hours later, Russel sat in a secluded spot along the beach, near where the subs had been "parked." The sun was down, and he sat looking out at the inky sea with a Ouija board in his lap, feeling equal parts nervous and ridiculous. The board had been his best idea for trying to contact the spirit world, but now that he was going to try it…well, he felt like an idiot. It was something for giggling preteens or shady fortune tellers, not a grown man with a serious mission. Still, it had been a pain in the ass to acquire, so he supposed he might as well put it to good use. Valparaiso wasn't like the States, after all, with a Wal-Mart on every corner. He'd had no idea how to find a Ouija board in the unfamiliar city. He had had to do a lot of wheedling and throw a lot of money around at the concierge service at his hotel, but he had finally gotten someone to track one down for him. Now he just had to figure out how to use it.

Sighing, he picked up the planchette and placed it on the center of the board, still feeling like a teenage girl at a slumber party. He placed his hands lightly over it, feeling even more ridiculous when he realized that they were far too large for the planchette and covered it entirely. He readjusted his grip, so that just his finger tips were touching it. Better. He paused for a moment more, glancing at the handgun that was at his side. He had taken it from one of the subs (all of them were well-stocked with supplies, including weapons), and was planning to use it as a last resort if things got…out of hand. If he failed, if a demon tried to possess him, he would take the gun and end it as quickly as he could. He didn't want to hurt anyone else they way he had hurt his classmates at the time of his first possession, when he was just a kid. He would make sure that he never harmed anyone like that again.

He shook his head slightly and tried to put the possibility out of his mind again. He couldn't let it come to that. Not only for his own sake, but for Noodle's as well. If he blew his brains out, there would be no one left to rescue Noodle. If she needed rescuing. He had to make sure he didn't fail.

Closing his eyes, he steadied his hands on the planchette and wondered how exactly he should begin. He had absolutely no idea how to "start" a session, and the board hadn't come with any instructions. He supposed he would just have to make something up. Trying to clear his mind, to open himself to the spirits, or whatever the hell he was supposed to be doing, Russel reached out tentatively with his thoughts.

_Hello? Is there anyone out there? This is Russel Hobbs…I'm trying to contact the spirits. I need to ask a question. Is there anyone out there who can hear me?_

He was greeted with a huge silence. No voices from beyond, no shining revelations. The planchette didn't budge an inch.

_Maybe I was too clinical. I suppose I need to speak the right language, as they say. The language of the spirit world. _He tried again.

_Oh spirits of the great beyond, I send my aura out to you. Please grant me your moonbeam blessings and present me with a holistic solution to this evil karma that I have found myself afflicted with!_

Nothing. In fact, if any spirits had been listening, Russel was almost sure they would have been offended.

Desperation was beginning to set in. He gripped the planchette harder, not caring anymore if his hands were too big for it. _C'mon guys! I need some help here! My friend is in trouble. Isn't there anyone out there who will help me? Anyone at all? Please, I need your help!_

The spirits were silent as the grave.

"Oh man, fuck this shit!" He almost threw the board into the sea in frustration. "It fucking figures! Spirits and demons and every other ghoul under the sun bother me without permission my whole life, but the one time I WANT to get in contact with them, they all run the other way like I'm fucking Typhoid Mary! The spirit world must be full of assholes!" He realized he almost would have welcomed the whispering demon voices back if it meant he was making _some _progress. "Maybe I'd have better luck if I giggled a lot and asked it who was going to take me to the prom!"

He let go of the planchette and lowered his face into his hands in defeat. He hadn't been able to find out a damn thing. He had tried his best for Noodle and failed miserably. There was no one in the entire afterlife who wanted to talk to him.

He was just about to get up and head back to the hotel to try and formulate a new plan when he realized he could hear a soft scraping noise coming from the board in his lap. Hardly daring to hope, he lifted his face from his hands and stared down at the board.

The planchette was moving.

RUSSEL, it spelled out, zipping from one letter to another at high speed. IS THAT YOU.

Trying to steady his nerves, he put his shaking hands back on the planchette. "Yeah, it's me," he told whoever it was. "Who am I talking to?

The planchette started moving again. I AM, it spelled out, then paused. A moment later it resumed its zipping around the board. THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST. It paused again for a moment, then resumed "writing." YOU HAVE BEEN A NAUGHTY BOY THIS YEAR RUSSEL. NO BLING FOR YOU IN YOUR STOCKING.

"What the _hell?" _Russel stared at the board in utter disbelief. "What the hell is this shit?"

BAD LANGUAGE MEANS COAL RUSSEL, the board spelled out.

"Stop it!" he snapped at whoever was "talking" to him. "Be serious!"

WHY, the board spelled out.

"Because I'm not goofing around!" he told the spirit. "I'm contacting you because I need help!"

The planchette paused again. Then it wrote: NO I WILL NOT DRIVE YOU TO THE AIRPORT RUSSEL. CALL A CAB. OR A U HAUL.

"I said knock it off!" he snarled. "I'm not here to joke around." Of all the ghosts in the afterlife, he contacted a smartass. What luck. "I'm trying to find my friend Noodle. She's missing and I think she needs my help. Please, can you tell me where she is?"

The planchette was still for a long time, and Russel began to wonder if the spirit had gone. Then, slowly, almost hesitantly, it began to move again. OUR NOODLE, it spelled out.

Our?

"Who am I talking to?" he asked again, beginning to think he knew the answer to that question.

Suddenly the air around him seemed to buzz with energy, energy which was focused on the middle of the board. As the energy intensified, the barrier between the physical and spiritual words seemed to…thin. Russel became aware that there were things around him, things that until now had been invisible. Shapes, black and insubstantial, moved about at the corners of his vision. A figure, tall and wiry, stood among the scrubby trees off to his right, staring at him. There was something dark under the water, about twenty feet out, waiting for him. Something sighed in the woods behind him, long and regretful, and he heard something else laugh, a small voice, angry and sharp. Worst of all, the whispering demon voices were back, off in the distance now, but seeming to increase in strength and proximity by the second.

_Demons…there are demons all around me…and I got their attention…oh fuck this was a horrible idea…_ His hand began to inch toward the gun at his side. He wouldn't let them take him. Not again.

The energy increased around the board and he felt something reach out to him. Unlike the forces around him, there was no malice in this presence. It seemed to want him to reach back, to make contact.

Russel hesitated, his hands shaking so badly that that he could barely keep his grip on the planchette. Should he? If he made contact, there might be no going back. He could be possessed again, or brought into the spirit world and trapped, or his mind could be broken completely. There was no telling what could happen if he reached out to that spirit

But…if it was who he thought it was, then perhaps it would be all right. He would just have to take the chance. This was the only way to find out the information he needed.

"For you, Noodle," he said, and reached out to the spirit with his mind.

The barrier between the two worlds thinned even more and the demonic whispers became louder. The shapes around him stared at him with interest. Russel felt like he was at the center of every supernatural being in the world's attention…alone and vulnerable.

Remembering his confrontation with them in the hotel room, Russel did his best to ignore them all. _They are gnats…that's all they are. They get in your face, they buzz in your ears, but they can't hurt you and they know it. Fuck 'em. I'm in charge here._

It seemed to work. The demons didn't shut up completely, but they did fade into the background again. As they did so, the energy from the spirit in the board increased, blocking everything else out in a milky white light. Russel felt the light envelope him, pull him in, and then he was falling…through light…through time…through memories…baseball in the overgrown city park…killing time downtown on a lazy summer afternoon….smoking cigarettes behind the school…arguing the finer points of the music they both loved…sharing their first pathetic attempts at compositions with one another, correcting, helping, teasing, laughing…dreaming of success and what they would do with it…..a drizzly day, late afternoon…gunshots….blood on the sidewalk…on the wall…on everything…the future gone, the music gone, his best friend…..gone…

The images faded back into the milky whiteness and slowly a familiar figure began to appear. Blue skin, large white eyes, dreadlocks, and a huge, welcoming, gap-toothed grin.

Russel's fear was gone. There were tears on his cheeks. He could hardly believe his eyes.

"Del…"


	9. What Friends Are For

What Friends are For

Russel nearly rubbed his eyes in disbelief, still amazed to see his oldest friend before him. "Del," he said again, his voice unsteady with emotion. "Hey man." It was all he could think of to say. He smiled at the ghost.

Thankfully, awkward silences were made to be broken by someone like Del. "Hey Russel!" he bellowed. "Thought you weren't going to answer me for a while there! It took you forever to make contact…thought I was going to have to roll out a red carpet or something. What the hell took you so long?"

"I…I…there were…demons…" Russel managed to stammer. He was still having trouble believing all this. "Del…it's…it's good to see you again."

"'Course it is," said the ghost, mugging at him. "I can tell how excited you are to see me. So full of news…I'm gonna have to stick tape over your mouth just to be able to get a word in edgewise!"

Russel chuckled in spite of himself. Del had always been good at breaking the ice and putting people at ease. "I am happy to see you again, Del," he finally said. "It's just….I wasn't sure this whole thing with the Ouija board was going to work and…I'm a little…startled…is all."

"Startled?" the Del asked. "I'd call that an understatement." He suddenly zipped out of sight and reappeared behind Russel, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "Why, you look like you've seen a ghost!"

Russel groaned. He turned to look at his friend, but the ghost had already zipped back in front of him, leaving him addressing empty air. "Del, that sucked," he said anyway.

"Hey, at least I'm trying," said Del. "Maybe I should just sit there like you and go 'uh…uh…duh….hi Del! Huh huh!'" Del let his tongue hand out in his best impression of a half-wit.

"Well, I've never contacted the spirit realm before!" Russel shot back. "Cut me some slack, man."

"Yeah, I noticed," said the ghost. He lowered his voice to a whine. "What, you couldn't get up off your fat ass, pick up the Ouija board, and give your best friend a call once in a while? "

"Sorry Del," said Russel. "The long distance bills are killer." It was the best "witty banter" he could come up with, and it wasn't much.

But the one thing about Del…you didn't actually have to speak his language. You just needed to try. "Ah, now that's more like it!" His friend's eyes gleamed approvingly. "I knew you still had it in you, Russ! Now," he leaned sideways in mid-air and rested his chin on his palm, "what can I do for you? I assume you aren't here to ask me how my weekend was."

"Well I…no…that is…" Russel shook himself, trying to get his mind back on track. "Del, I'm trying to find out what happened to Noodle. You remember her, right? She's missing. I…I don't even know if she's alive."

"Yeah, I remember her," Del said. "Cute kid. Played a mean guitar too, if I remember."

"She did," Russel agreed. "But she's not really a kid any more. She's twenty now. All grown up."

"Really?" Del seemed startled. "It's been that long? Man, when you're stuck in the afterlife, you start to loose track of time. Doesn't have much meaning here, you know?"

"I suppose it wouldn't," Russel agreed, although he felt a sudden prickle of curiosity as to what the afterlife was actually like. Was there any concept of time at all? What did they do all day? Did they even have "days?" Did it get boring? Was Del in heaven or somewhere else?

"Earth to Russel!" Del suddenly shouted, waving a huge blue hand in his face. "Don't go spacing out on me man! You never used to do that unless spooks were bothering you." He paused, pretending to look put out. "I'm not that annoying, am I?"

Russel laughed. "No Del, even at your most animated, you were never annoying. No one could make me laugh like you could." He grinned at his old friend.

Del's face lit up. He had always been a joker and had loved being the center of attention, and being dead had not changed that aspect of his personality one iota. He was never so happy as when he was making people crack up. "Of course they couldn't," the ghost agreed. "You've always been too serious. It takes someone of fine caliber to even get you to crack a smile." Del winked at him. "Lucky for you I was around for most of your life, huh?"

"Lucky me," Russel laughed. "In fact with you gone, I'm surprised I didn't keel over of terminal dullness."

"I shudder to think about it," said Del, making a face. "Now, tell me what's up with Noodle. If you want me to try and help you find her, I'm going to need as much information as I can get before I start probing the ether. It'll help me focus my search."

"Sure, I…probing the ether?" The phrase made Del sound like some New Age nutjob.

"Looking into the Mystical Beyond?" Del offered instead. "Poking around in the fabric of reality? Sticking my nose where it doesn't belong? I dunno, what do you want me to call it?"

Russel shook his head. "Never mind," he told Del. "I don't care what you call it as long as it works. Call it a cab for all I care." He quickly gave Del a summary of what had happened on Plastic Beach. "Noodle and I were helping Murdoc fight some pirates on his new island." He motioned for Del to hold his thoughts when it looked like the ghost was going to interrupt with incredulous questions about how Murdoc acquired his own island. They didn't need to get sidetracked again. "Noodle and a robot got sent out there to kill the captain of the pirates." He had to stop Del again when it looked like he was going to start asking about this robot. "Later Del. It's along story. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that Noodle and the robot did managed to kill the captain because I saw them knock someone over the side of the ship, but then the robot turned on Noodle and knocked her over the side of the ship too. I tried to go help her, but I got knocked out by someone, and when I woke up, Murdoc's crew had already rescued me and were heading for land. None of them knew what happened to Noodle or Murdoc and 2D. All of them are missing, and I don't know where to start looking for them."

"That's why you need an expert like me," Del told him smugly. "Just give me a minute and I'll have them all found for you. Paging them will cost extra though." He placed his fingers on his temples and shut his eyes. "Ooooommmmmmmmm….."

Russel sighed. "C'mon Del, be serious."

Del didn't reply, but his vocalization gradually died out and he became quite still. He remained that way for several minutes, and then Russel saw his face scrunch up a bit as though he were concentrating. "I think…no, wait…no…wait, is that…hmm….uh….ah ha…I think that's…" he muttered softly to himself as he "poked the ether" or whatever it was he was doing. Then, suddenly, he reached out a hand and placed it on Russel's forehead. Russel didn't even have time to open his mouth to protest before he was bombarded with images.

Water…endless water…the sea…Noodle on a boat out at sea, with Plastic Beach slowly dwindling away into the background…eyes on her from all directions…eyes in the sea…in the air….on the horizon… Murdoc and 2D, bound and chained together, being dragged by the cyborg toward a destination that sometimes looked like a charming little house, sometimes like a graveyard filled with grinning ghouls. The cyborg cried black tears as she dragged her unwilling charges toward this changing landscape, where a raven perched over the gate, welcoming them.

There was a strange buzzing sound and then suddenly, the images seemed to go blurry. They blurred, melted, and seemed to merge together, and as they did so, Russel could hear Del's voice faintly in the background, arguing with someone.

"I said get lost," Russel heard the ghost say. "This line's busy. I'm trying to talk to Russel here. You can't just come barging in and-HEY!"

Suddenly, the harsh whispering of the demon voices was closer, and they were far more numerous than they had ever been before. Russel tried to ignore them again, but their noise was deafening. It was like trying to ignore a hurricane.

Del finally reappeared before him, also looking blurry and harder to make out than before, and when he spoke, Russel had a hard time making out what he was saying over the hissing whispers.

"….coming, Russel! The bastards are coming!" Del was shouting at him. "An open portal's like an invitation to them. I don't know how much longer we can talk!"

"I know, I can hear them!" Russel shouted back. "Del, is there anything else you can show me before I have to go?"

"I'm trying," said the ghost. "There's something else, something nasty…hang on…oh shit…Russel, listen!" He tried to reach out to put his hand on Russel's forehead again, but seemed to have difficulty moving. Russel leaned forward instead, and this put the ghost's fingertips barely touching him. As the barest connection was made between them, Russel saw…no _felt…_danger…

There was something out there that wanted Noodle. Something that would try and take her. Something that would bring her somewhere where all she would know was suffering. Something that would savor her screams.

The jumble of images before him seemed to try and steady, to focus, but the demons were causing too much interference. Knowing that time was running out, Russel squinted into the chaotic mess, grasping, hoping, for some clue, some information, something to help him figure out what the danger was. And for a brief moment, he saw an image.

It was whisked away before his eyes had time to properly focus on it. Shape, size, form…all were lost as it was swallowed up by the swirling chaos once again. The only thing he'd been able to register about it had been its color.

It was black…black as night…black as death…black as the depths of the earth .

The chaotic storm of information disappeared suddenly, and Russel could see Del again, fainter still this time, with his back to Russel. His hands were back on his temples, and he looked to be concentrating with all his might.

"Del!" Russel shouted over the hissing of the demons, louder still now. "Del, I have to end the session!" End it before something came though. Something he was unprepared to deal with.

"No wait!" he heard the ghost call to him faintly.

"Del, I have to close this thing now!" He couldn't try and hold off all those demons. There were too many. It wasn't like back at the hotel. There were so many more and they had a portal between the physical and spiritual realms through which to manifest. There was no way he could hold off something like that. Not yet. He wasn't strong enough.

His doubts seemed to encourage them, and they rose from whispers to screaming instantly. A deafening chorus of wails, screeches and moans soon enveloped him.

"Del!" He called out, hoping his friend could still hear him. "Del, I've gotta go!"

"Wait!" he heard the ghost yell again. "Wait Russel, not yet! Russel, I SEE HER!"

The demon voices reached an earsplitting crescendo and Russel felt the planchette lurch in his hands, as though someone else was controlling it. He fought back, pulling against the force with all his might, but it was a losing battle. Del was growing fainter and more transparent by the moment, his presence drowned out under a multitude of others, all vying for his attention. He saw the ghost yell to him once more, but the noise from the demons was too loud and Russel couldn't make it out. Then he felt the planchette begin to heat up underneath his fingers, and as it did, the demon voices became clear once more.

_Russel..oh Russel…give in…let us come through….Russel, she's waiting…Noodle…our Noodle…our Noodle…OUR Noodle..._

"NO!" He screamed. He tried to let go of the planchette, but his fingers seemed to be glued to the thing, and its temperature rapidly approaching scalding. He had a horrific vision of managing to wrest his hands free of the planchette and leaving charred and melted flesh stuck to the thing. He screamed again, no words this time, and he saw Del reappear in his field of vision once again, this time coming closer and closer, a look of determination on his face.

The ghost hit him with a rush of cold air and suddenly Russel found himself looking at Noodle. Not some vague symbolic image this time, but the real thing. He was sure of it. He almost felt like he could have reached out and touched her. She stood in a small, garbage lined inlet on the ruined Plastic Beach, working on what looked like a makeshift boat, all scrapwood and old PVC pipe and pontoons made of plastic bottles held together with tangled fishing nets.

Then Russel felt a presence over them, and he looked up, to the top of a steep garbage slope behind Noodle. At the crest of the hill stood a…thing. Tall and dark, with wide, staring white eyes, it looked down at Noodle as the sun went down behind it and its long shadow slowly crept down the slope toward her. The thing's inky black cloak billowed behind it in the wind, and its clawed hands were red with blood.

"Noodle!" Russel tried to shout to her, but no sound came out of his mouth. "Noodle, look out!"

Then he felt the planchette lurch in his hands, as though a third party had joined in the tug-of-war, and the image of Noodle was gone. Russel heard the demon voices screech in dismay for a second before they were cut off completely. Then he was falling, falling through darkness, through light, through gray mist. Falling through time and space.

"Noodle!" he still tried to shout. "Noodle, behind y-OOF!"

He sat up and spat out a mouthful of sand. His vision cleared to reveal that he was back on the beach. If he had ever actually left it, anyway. The Ouija board was beside him, battered and face-down in the sand. He reached out to touch it and recoiled in horror when he saw oozing blisters on his fingertips.

The sight of them must have reminded his fingers to send belated pain signals to his brain, because they soon started smartling like mad. The little bits of sand stuck to them didn't really help, either. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Russel gingerly turned the Ouija board by using just the very tips of his fingers as pinchers.

As soon as he flipped it right side up, he was hit with a faint charred smell, and one look at the thing revealed a huge, scorched mark made by the planchette, moving in an arc around the upper edge of the board, cutting across the picture of the sun at the top left corner, then the crescent moon in the top right corner, and then the pentagram at the bottom right, before coming to a stop at the word "GOODBYE."

Russel sighed in relief and tossed the board back down onto the sand. He must have managed to close the session somehow. Thankfully. One look at his blistered fingers told him what could have happened if he'd let that portal stay open much longer.

Still, he had gotten the information he needed. He knew Noodle was alive, he knew she was still on Plastic Beach and that she was planning to escape by building a boat, and he knew…

He knew he needed to get his ass out there as fast as he could. Because she was in danger. She was being stalked by a black monster, and he didn't know if she could protect herself from it. For all he knew, it could have already attacked and killed her since the vision ended.

No…he couldn't make himself think like that. He'd already given her up for dead once, and he wouldn't make that mistake again. She was tough. If that thing attacked her, she could fight it off. He knew she could hold out until he got there. If he could face demons (and Russel had seen enough of them in his lifetime to know that that was indeed what that thing was), then so could she.

"Hang on, Baby Girl," he said, getting to his feet. "I'm coming."

He paused to give the ruined Ouija board one last glance before he departed. It had been a risky idea, but it had paid off, and he was grateful to the person who had helped him succeed. He was truly lucky to have a best friend who stuck by him and helped him, even despite an obstacle as insurmountable as the grave.

"Thanks Del," he said.

_You're welcome, Russ, _came a voice from the back of his mind.

Russel froze, and the world seemed to stop with him.

_And that little eulogy was beautiful, man. I'm blushing here._

Russel's mouth fell open. "Del?" he finally managed to say.

_Hey man, _came the voice from the back of his mind. He swore it was hiding a smile.

"Oh God no…" Russel whispered. This couldn't be happening again. "Del!" he finally shouted. "Get out here!"

_I don't wanna, _said Del. _It's comfy in here. Nice and roomy. I swear, there's even more empty space than last time!_

Russel was decidedly not in the mood for jokes. "Get out here!" he snapped again.

_Wouldn't do much good, _Dell told him. _Every time I'd come out before, you'd space out and be about as responsive as a coma patient. Don't see much point in it. It's much easier to talk this way._

Del's calm, matter of fact tone was beginning to piss him off. He acted like this whole mess was nothing at all. "Del," you weren't supposed to possess me again!" Russel told him.

_Hey, you never said anything like that,_ Del replied. _You should lay down the rules more clearly next time you try and contact a spirit. _Russel could have sown he felt Del sticking his tongue out at him.

"Del, this isn't funny!" he told the ghost. "You're not supposed to leave the afterlife. The Reaper will come for you again!"

_Yeah, probably, _his friend replied. _But it'll take him a while to notice I'm gone. There'll be plenty of time to find Noodle before he comes after me again._

"You want to help find Noodle?" Russel asked him.

_Of course, _replied Del. _She was my friend too, you know. Besides, she owes me money._

Russel snorted. "Del, what the hell are you going to do with money when you're dead?"

_It's the principle of the thing! _Del protested. _I won that bet fair and square._

Russel rolled his eyes. "Del, is this about that time 2D tried to jump over my gut while I was sleeping?"

Del seemed to hesitate. _Maybe… _he somehow managed to say in a small voice, despite not having an actual voice at all. _Hey, speaking of him, it looks like you might need to rescue him too._

"Don't try changing the-oh, forget it!" Russel threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "I don't have time to fight with you." He sighed, remembering the images he had seen of 2D and Murdoc being held captive by that cyborg "Noodle." It looked like they were in as much trouble as the real Noodle was, but…

He couldn't be in two places at once. And he knew where Noodle was, while he didn't have the foggiest idea where the cyborg was taking the other two. "Graveyard House" didn't exactly ring any bells in his memory. And besides….it served the two of them right, trying to replace their beloved Noodle with a robot. Their little replacement had turned around and bit them in the ass, and Russel didn't have much sympathy. They could sit there and sweat for a while. He would rescue Noodle first and then try to find them after that. It was the best he could do.

"I'll have to look for 2D and Muds later," he told Del. "Right now, I've gotta go find Noodle. Keep quiet and don't make trouble," he told the ghost sternly. "I'll deal with you when this is all over."

_Deal with me? _asked Del hesitantly. _What, you want to get rid of me? So soon?_

Russel sighed. "Del…." How could he explain this to his friend without hurting his feelings? "Del, you shouldn't have possessed me without my permission."

_Hey, you needed my help to close that portal, _Del protested. _You'd be demon food right now if I hadn't intervened. Besides, this way I was able to show you where Noodle was. Hell, I even tried to tell you what that creepy thing watching her was, though the demons were so damn loud I had to use the board to do it. Must have fucked up though, because I missed all the letters._

"You…it still wasn't…" He hated the fact that Del had a point. He didn't want the ghost to be right. "Del…this wasn't what-"

_Spare me, _he heard the ghost snap at him. _I can hear what you're thinking, you know. You don't want me here. I thought you'd be happy to have me back, but apparently, I'm nothing but a bother, right?_

"No Del, it's not like that!" he told his friend. "It's just…you don't know what this did to me last time! I can't-"

_Fuck you._

"Huh?" Russel was taken aback. "Del, c'mon man. Don't be that way."

No answer.

"Del?" he asked again.

Nothing.

Russel stood there awkwardly on the beach, feeling guilty. Del had helped him find Noodle and helped save him from the demons, and Russel had repaid him by insulting him. He still thought Del had been wrong to possess him, but perhaps he could have chosen his words a bit more carefully.

Russel snorted. It was hard to "choose your words carefully" when the person you were talking to had access to your uncensored thoughts. Technically, this was Del's fault for listening in on things he shouldn't.

Still, he had hurt his friend's feelings, and he did want to make things right. But at this moment, he didn't have time to deal with the ghost's pouting. He still had a job to do.

"Del?" he said again, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. "I'm really sorry I pissed you off. I wasn't trying to. If you want to try and work it out, I promise I'll be listening."

And with that, he headed off to refuel and restock one of the subs before heading back to Point Nemo.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**Russel's heading back to Point Nemo, and next chapter, so will we. Looks like Noodle's been busy since we last left her!**


	10. Foreign Emotions

Foreign Emotions

The Boogieman stood at the top of a trash-strewn ridge, looking down at the girl as she worked. She was just finishing tying the salvaged fishing nets around the mass of plastic that would serve as a pontoon for the makeshift raft. An interesting idea, certainly, and one that he certainly wouldn't have been able to come up with on his own. He knew nothing about building boats, let alone how to fashion one out of the multitude of human rubbish that surrounded them. And yet, the skill was one that she somehow possessed. For some reason, she was able to understand what would float well, what would make a good support structure, what would be waterproof, what could capture the wind. And in turn, she told him what to look for, and together, the two of them had found everything they needed on this ruined island, discovered that there was a treasure trove of useful material in all the garbage that surrounded them. The little boat had grown from a vague idea in her head to a concrete reality in the span of a week. He was nothing short of amazed.

How could a frail, insignificant human manage to do such a thing? How could she find a way out of such an utterly hopeless situation when he himself could not? His kind regarded humans as little more than souls to be harvested, a sort of spiritual "cattle in the fields," and yet, one of them had managed to do something that was completely beyond his power, sparing him from a long, slow death by starvation in the process. It..it made no sense, and yet, here it was. He had always been quick to dismiss the "wonders" and "marvels" mankind was supposedly capable of as so much bluster and hot air, and yet now…he was beginning to think that perhaps there was a reason why their souls were considered so valuable.

He shook himself, trying to banish the unwelcome thoughts from his mind. He hadn't come here to stand around and ponder yet ANOTHER reason why the damn girl confused him. He'd merely come to let her know he was finished with his latest task and see if she was finished with hers. The sun was going down, and that meant that work would soon cease for the day. He could see in the dark, but she could not, and so they usually headed back to the shelter before the fading light and lengthening shadows made footing treacherous for her. There was already food waiting for them there, a small portion of the multitude of prey he had caught this afternoon, and he had even cooked it for her, finding the act of making a fire and roasting meat to be easier and easier with each attempt. The rest of the animals he had caught would be cleaned the next morning, and their meat put out in the sun to dry, since she said that that would help keep it from spoiling on their long journey. He had to guard the meat during the process, since the thousands of seagulls on the island felt no reluctance to eat their own kind and would have mobbed the trays of drying meat if he wasn't there to protect them. They sometimes did anyway, but he always made them think better of it (and sometimes bagged a couple of easy kills in the process). He sometimes felt like the girl's servant, since when he wasn't catching and preparing their supplies, he was finding building materials for the boat or doing heavy lifting for her, but he had to remind himself that they both wanted to get off the island and she was doing most of the work on the boat. He was simply doing the work that she could not.

As he wondered yet again why he was just standing there watching her instead of going down there and getting her, he felt a strange…ripple…in the air around them. No, not the air…it came from someplace…deeper. The ether…the fabric of reality. Before he could even begin the pinpoint the source of the disturbance, he heard a loud, male voice shout, plain as day, "NOODLE! NOODLE, LOOK OUT!"

He whipped his head down to face the girl, since that was also where the voice seemed to be coming from, but he saw nothing down there, other than the girl and the boat. She was still working on tying the fishing nets, giving no impression that she heard the voice at all. But to his eyes, she suddenly looked quite small and vulnerable down there by herself, and his uneasiness about whatever presence was watching them deepened. He quickly started down the slope toward her.

"NOODLE!" the voice came again, echoing sharply in the little cove and startling him badly. "NOODLE, BEHIND Y-"

He missed a step and pitched forward. He flailed his arms for balance and tried to regain his footing, but he felt wood or plastic snap underneath his right foot and then he was tumbling headfirst down the slope. Sky and garbagy ground seemed to spin around him in a confusing jumble until he finally came to rest in a heap at the bottom of the hill.

"Sunmoonstars!" he heard her shout, using the name she had given him, the name that she said was silly but had stuck anyway, the name she had originally used as a joke until she could think of something better and now used in seriousness. He tried to raise his head, but the motion only intensified his dizziness and he gave up and tried to wait out the spinning in his head. Then he heard her footsteps running toward him, and a second later she was kneeling beside him.

"Sunmoonstars, are you all right?" she asked, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him slightly. The motion didn't help his dizziness in the slightest, and he kept his head down. "Sunmoonstars?"

He finally managed to lift his head meet her gaze, a plastic six-pack ring dangling from his nose.

He saw the tiniest touch of a smirk cross her face as she reached out and pulled the piece of plastic from his nose. "Are you all right?" she asked again.

He ignored her and scanned all around them for any sign of the presence that had shouted. He saw nothing, and no longer felt anything watching them either. Whatever it was had gone.

She touched his shoulder. "Sunmoonstars, what's wrong?" Uneasiness had entered her eyes.

Given that the danger (if there had ever been one) was past, he supposed he had better stop worrying her. He looked back at her and shook his head.

She didn't look reassured and glanced up at the hill as if wondering if someone had pushed him. Her hand discretely darted to the ground at her side and he saw her pick up a broken two-by-four, as if to use it as a weapon.

This time it was his turn to touch her shoulder. When she looked back at him, he shook his head again, then waved dismissively at the hill behind him, as if to say: _I tripped._

Her expression lightened a bit, but the worry line didn't completely leave her face. "You've never struck me as a klutz," she told him. "Did something happen?"

Yes, but it was impossible to explain to her. She had actually taught him a bit of sign language to make communication easier between them, but only the simplest of commands and replies. He certainly couldn't attempt to tell her about a presence spying on them through the ether, a presence that had shouted for her, but which she couldn't hear. Since the presence was gone now, it was simply easier to try and dismiss the situation (and keep a sharp lookout in the future, in case it returned).

He placed his hand over his eyes and hung his head a bit, as though in embarrassment.

It seemed to work, since he heard her set down the two-by-four. Raising his head back up, he saw that she was giving him a sympathetic look. "Well, be more careful next time. I don't want you breaking your leg," she told him, with a wink. "I have enough work to do around here without hauling you around everywhere too." She smiled a bit and reached out to remove a banana peel from his shoulder.

He quickly began to brush the remaining dirt and trash from himself in genuine embarrassment this time. Next to him, the girl got to her feet and offered a hand to help him up. He accepted.

"I suppose it's getting dark," she said as she helped him stand. "We'd better get back."

He nodded and the two of them headed up the hill and back toward the shelter.

She filled him in about her progress as they walked. "I think it's almost ready to go," she said, referring to the boat. "I just need to put the sail on and do a few finishing touches, and it should be ready. I think it should be finished tomorrow, and then the next day, we can load it up and set sail."

Her expression darkened a bit again and she gave the eastern horizon an uneasy glance. He knew she was worried about the voyage…afraid that they would not make it to land. That they would get lost or run out of food or capsize in a storm. She was working her hardest to make the boat as seaworthy as she could, but they each knew that if something unexpected happened, they were both almost certainly doomed.

She quickly changed the subject, as she usually did when something bothered her. He noticed that she seemed to truly dislike showing fear or vulnerability and did her best to avoid doing so. An admirable trait in a human, he supposed.

"…been doing a good job of catching supplies for us," she was saying. "I'm starting to run out of containers to put them all in. What did you catch this afternoon?"

He made the sign for "bird," then showed her all ten fingers, then three more.

"Thirteen seagulls," she said, sounding pleased. "Anything else?"

He made the sign for "fish," then showed six fingers, and finally, the sign for "octopus," (which was the only term either of them could think to call the one-eyed, squidlike creatures that inhabited the waters around the island, since she didn't know the sign for "squid") followed by three fingers.

"I suppose that means it's calamari for dinner again tonight," she laughed. Since the squid meat didn't keep well, they usually ate that for meals while drying and saving the fish and gull meat. "You didn't burn it again this time, did you?"

He shook his head, a little indignant. He had gotten better at cooking! Was she going to hold the time they had to eat blackened tentacles for dinner against him forever?

Forever…the word reminded him that nothing on this world lasted that long, their odd "companionship" least of all. If they managed to get off this island and make it to South America, which was where she wanted to go, they would certainly part company after that. He still didn't know where he would go or how he would get his powers back, but whatever he decided to do, he certainly didn't need the girl for it, and he doubted she needed him. Their mutual need for survival and escape was what united them, and that was the only thing. The rest was…unnecessary. Even if it sometimes was pleasant.

He almost stumbled again, but caught himself before he could fall on his face. The last thing he needed was for his annoyance about the situation to turn him into an actual "klutz." He had already accepted that, while he was not supposed to find their companionship pleasant, he did at times and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew he was weak and pathetic, and he found his occasional enjoyment of her company to be bewildering in the same way he found her kindness toward him to be bewildering, but he consoled himself with the fact that it was temporary and that it would end when they made it to land. He could put up with it until then.

So why did the thought that there was an end in sight not fill him with relief, but instead a vague unease?

Beside him, the girl suddenly jumped back as if startled and let out an exclamation of surprise.

A second later a large brown pelican lifted into the air in front of them and flew slowly and lethargically over the rolling garbage hills, out of sight.

He watched it go with disappointment. Now THAT would have a fine catch. And if he had been paying proper attention, he might have been able to spot and catch it before it flew away.

"You'll get him next time," the girl said kindly. "C'mon, we're almost there and I'm hungry!"

He quickly followed her and soon they were back at the shelter. He ducked inside, but despite her earlier hurry, she paused in the doorway for a moment, looking back out. He cocked his head at her in confusion.

"There's no moon tonight," she said, almost to herself. "I'll bet…" She paused, then shook herself. "Nah..nevermind."

He was curious. He continued looking at her questioningly.

She waved him off dismissively. "It's nothing. It's just…well, last night, I got up to…you know…and the stars were really amazing. There's absolutely no other light out here, so they were really intense. And with no moon…"

He shook his head at her. It was foolishness for her to go blundering around in the dark just so she could look at something she probably saw every night. Of course, if she wanted to, he wouldn't stop her, but he still thought it was silly.

Her face fell a bit. "Yeah, you're right. It's too likely I'd trip and break my ankle. And then YOU'D have to carry ME everywhere instead." She forced a small laugh. "C'mon, let's eat."

They sat down and got to work on the food he had prepared: roasted squid tentacles, with a bit of seagull meat thrown in for variety. He had also filled her water bottle and his water bowl with "jellyfish juice" for them to drink. That had been her idea, and had probably saved their lives more than anything else either of them had done. Since there was no water to be found on this island, she had come up with the idea of boiling large numbers of the jellyfish he caught in a pot over the fire. They were full of water, and the cooking eventually tuned them into a kind of stew. The dark juice wasn't unpleasant tasting (it reminded him a bit of the seagulls, for some reason), and it had sustained them during their time on this island. He had to admit that for a human, she was fairly clever.

He finished gulping down the rest of his supper and then glanced over at her. She had already finished eating and was staring out the window regretfully.

He felt a twinge of yet another foreign emotion…a strange distress at seeing her unhappy. What in the infernal depths of Hell was the matter with him? He sighed to himself, the sound hissing loudly in the little shelter.

She looked over at him. "What's wrong?" she said.

He sighed again. Just looking into her eyes was enough to intensify the strange new emotion he was dealing with. He supposed that the only way to alleviate it was to just go ahead and give into it.

He got to his feet. The girl looked at him oddly. "What?" she said.

He scooped her up into his arms and dashed out the door of the shelter.

He bounded agilely over the scattered refuse all over the ground, ignoring her shriek of alarm. He quickly climbed the nearest hill, and once at the top, set her down gently. Sitting down beside her, he gestured out toward the grand view that surrounded them, as if to say: _There are your stars. Happy?_

However, she didn't seem terribly interested in them right at the moment. "What the hell was THAT!" she spluttered at him angrily.

He shrugged and gestured toward the stars again. He wasn't sure how much clearer he could make it.

"Ask me before you do something like that next time!" she snapped. "How would you like it if I just picked you up and hauled you around against your will?"

He actually would have enjoyed seeing her try. He turned his head away form her and snickered silently to himself, pleased at her reaction. Served her right for making him feel all these bewildering emotions.

"Are you LAUGHING at me?" he heard her snarl from behind him.

He turned back to her and shook his head with phony sincerity. Her scowl did not lighten.

He supposed he should try and make peace between them. It wouldn't do to have her get TOO mad at him. She might decide to sail off and leave him behind when the boat was ready. Scanning the garbage around them, he found an old, half-deflated basketball. He handed it to her, then spread his arms out, offering himself as a target for her projectile.

For a moment, he almost thought she was actually going to throw it at him. Then, a smile teased at the corners of her mouth, and a moment later, she was laughing at him.

"God damn it," she giggled, letting the basketball fall from her hand and roll lopsidedly down the slope. "I'll get you for this someday, just wait and see."

He held his hands up in front of himself as if in terror.

She flashed him her middle finger. "That's a rude gesture, in case you don't know what it means," she added sheepishly. Still giggling a bit, she turned away from him and finally took in the stars she had been so eager to see earlier.

He left her to it, preferring to look out at the darkened ocean. Those thousands of shiny lights above him made him feel like all the angels were looking down on him from the heavens, judging and mocking him.

"It really is beautiful," he heard her say beside him, and there was a hushed wonder in her voice. "I've never seen so many of them at once. The sky is so intense…it almost looks fake. Like it's a picture or something."

He nodded disinterestedly and continued looking out at the ocean.

"It's funny," she said quietly. "All the stars and constellations I know are there, but they're in different places. It must be the latitude. Look there," she said, gesturing toward the north. "Look how low the two Bears are. Back h-…in England, they are much higher in the sky. But here, they're practically swimming in the ocean."

He could only gaze at where she was pointing in confusion. He didn't see anything remotely resembling a bear in the stars. One large group of stars looked a bit like a ladle, but certainly not a bear.

"I still remember the stories that went with some of the constellations," she was saying. "I suppose my own people have stories and names for them, but I never learned them. I only remember the ones 2D taught me. The bears have such long tails because the gods picked them up by them and threw them into the sky. Or something like that."

She was silent for a long time. He looked over at her and saw that she was gazing out at the ocean wistfully. "Do you think he misses me?"

He could only shrug, knowing next to nothing about the singer for Murdoc's band.

"I…sometimes…sometimes I wonder," she said quietly. "I don't know why he would go along with Murdoc, after everything that happened. He had come to dislike Murdoc by the end…he was always trying to stand up to him, even if it got him a punch in the face. And after Murdoc set up the whole "El Manana" fiasco…" She paused, a pained look on her face. An instant later, she had smoothed it away, and kept talking. "You'd think he'd at least be a little mad. You'd think he'd want nothing to do with Murdoc. Especially after he built that…" Her voice trailed off into silence.

He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly glad that he couldn't talk. If he had been able to, he might have felt an obligation to tell her that the singer hadn't gone with Murdoc willingly, that the Boogieman himself had captured the young man and brought him to Murdoc as the final part of their deal.

She looked over at him, perhaps mistaking his discomfort for sadness. "How about you?" she asked gently. "Do you have anyone who misses you? Or anyone that you miss?"

He shook his head, surprised at the ridiculous question. Of course he didn't have anyone like that. Demons did not form relationships the way humans did.

She sighed softly. "You're lucky," she said quietly.

He supposed he was, now that he thought about it. Not having to put up with the pain humans put one another through, not having to feel the emotions of loneliness and betrayal that tormented her, not having to worry about anyone other than himself. It was certainly very freeing, if nothing else.

So why didn't he FEEL lucky? Nothing about a demon's existence was particularly pleasant, so it had never occurred to him that any aspect of it could be considered a good thing. Certainly, it had never brought him any pleasure. It was just something that…was.

But it certainly pained her. He could tell by her extended silence. The same feeling from the shelter returned, and he wondered if he should do something to comfort her. Certainly not like what he had done the night he had found her crying…no, that memory was still too embarrassing. It had worked, but it had been so utterly uncharacteristic for him that thinking about it still mortified him. He hadn't known what else to do when he'd found her…how to make her stop crying. It hadn't been something he had planned to do, certainly. He wasn't soft and foolish…he just…well, he'd had to do something!

And he had to do something now. A small gesture, at least, to let her know she wasn't alone. Maybe touching her hand would help.

He turned toward her just as she placed her hand on his own.

He could only look at her in surprise.

"I'd miss you," she told him softly.

The simple statement filled an empty place inside him that he hadn't known he had. Feeling like he was breaking every law in the universe, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her in….was it _gratitude?_

At that moment, he knew he was in deep trouble. These types of gestures…these gestures of human kindness…well, they were bad enough when he was doing them to comfort her. But the idea that he was doing them to comfort _himself…_ it could only mean there was something terribly wrong with him.

He wanted to pull away, but despite how wrong it was, it felt too good to stop. He wondered if this was what sin felt like to humans.

She giggled against him. "You're squashing me."

He pulled away and placed a hand over his face in embarrassment. What the hell was he doing?

She laughed again and patted his shoulder. "Don't be embarrassed. It was kind of cute."

He looked at her indignantly. He was not, in any way shape or form, _cute! _

She gave him a speculative look. "You know, it's kind of funny. When I think back to the battle on that ship….and how I tried to kill you….if I had known you were like this, I'd never have offered to do it. I'd have let you kick Murdoc in the nuts and blow this shitty island sky high." She sighed slightly. "I wish you could tell me what exactly was going on…why you and he were fighting."

He shuddered inwardly. He was very glad that he could not.

She took one last glance at the stars overhead. "Well, I suppose we'd better be getting back. Thanks for bringing me out here."

He got to his feet and reached down to pick her up.

She looked him square in the eyes. "Even if the mode of transportation was a little undignified."

He snatched his hands away from her and put them behind his back innocently. Thinking quickly, he stooped down and offered her a ride on his back instead.

She grinned at him and hopped up. "I used to get these all the time when I was a little girl. Even Murdoc would sometimes…" She paused. "The hell with him. Let's go."

He carried her back down the hill and brought her to the shelter. Once inside, he set her beside the window, then lay down next to her in his usual spot. He patted her on the arm as his way of saying goodnight, then covered her with his cloak, as he usually did, to keep her warm.

"Goodnight, Sunmoonstars," she murmured beside him, then shut her eyes.

He lay awake long after she had fallen asleep, listening to her breathe and marveling at how small and vulnerable she felt beside him. He knew she was not…he knew she could fight, he knew that she knew how to survive, he knew that she was clever and brave, But in the dark, in the night, she seemed so much more…helpless. Maybe it was because the darkness showed what weaknesses she did have more than the light did. In the dark, she could not see, in the dark the chill in the air deepened, in the dark, her memories of her betrayal were stronger, more dangerous. In the dark, she needed him.

She stirred a bit beside him, and he flinched. The movement had brought her slightly closer to him. It was strange how she seemed to have no discomfort sleeping beside a demon. He thought she would find the experience unnerving, but she seemed quite comfortable with it ever since the night he had…..made her stop crying. Once, he had even woken up in the middle of the night to find her arms around him.

He wondered if she would put her arms around him tonight. He wondered why he would wonder that.

He knew he was slowly loosing his mind. And worst of all, it was not at all unpleasant.

It was only a few more days. Well, only a few more days here, and then however long they would be out at sea. But it wouldn't be forever. He could hold out until they made it to land. Then they would separate, and these strange feelings would go away.

But…

But in the meantime…

But in the meantime…what did it matter if he gave in to them? It was only for a little while. He would eventually escape this, but in the meantime, there was nothing he could do about it. What was the harm in giving in? It was only temporary, and it would be so much more…comfortable.

He reached out and gently slipped his arms around her, drawing her near.

_Just for now. Not forever._

She stirred again and slipped her own arms around him.

_Just for now. Not forever._

She sighed softly and drifted back to sleep, while he held her vulnerable little form in his arms and protected her. Protected her from the dark, from the cold, and from her memories. She may have been the strong one in the light, the one he needed to survive, but in the dark, the roles were reversed, and he was the one she needed.

In the dark, she was his.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**Sheesh, Sunmoonstars. Take a cold shower or something. I don't want to have to change the rating on this story.**

**Anyway, sorry about the last couple of chapters being so introspective. We will return to more action (and Noodle's POV) in the next chapter. I promise! :P**

**Also…I realize that Point Nemo is too far south for the dippers to be seen in the sky, even as close to the horizon as they are portrayed here. I…uh…screwed up the latitude.**

***coughs***

** Oops?**


	11. For Want of a Wrench

For Want of a Wrench

**After writing "Sunmoonstars" fifty times a page, I'm starting to wish that Noodle had named him "Bob."**

Noodle woke from her slumber just as the first few rays of sunlight came through the window of the shelter. Gently untangling herself from Sunmoonstars's arms, she sat up and brushed the hair out of her eyes, trying to wake herself up further. She wanted to get out and working on the boat as soon as possible. She was bound and determined to get the sail put up today, and she wanted to utilize every ounce of daylight available.

She glanced out the window at the slowly brightening beach. The seagulls weren't out yet, and in the early morning light it almost…_almost_…looked peaceful and serene. In another hour it would be bright, noisy and smelly, as all the trash baked under the hot sun, but for now, she let herself enjoy just a few moments of the peaceful ocean view.

_Too bad I don't have some coffee and a cigarette, _she thought wryly, staring out at the rising sun. _Although I could probably find a morning newspaper out there if I looked hard enough. It'd probably be a bit out of date, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. _Chuckling softly to herself, she decided it was time to get going.

She looked down at Sunmoonstars, still nestled comfortably beside her, still breathing in slow, even hisses that signified sleep. She smiled gently at him (for he was an "it" no longer…she couldn't think of the creature as an "it" now that she had given him a name) and reached down to give him a gentle pat. He stirred ever so slightly and drew a bit closer. It was funny…she certainly wouldn't have pegged the skeletal monster as a cuddlebug, but there it was. Not that she minded, in any event. There had been no helicopter dreams last night, and that was certainly a welcome change.

Her smile widened and she took hold of his shoulder and gently shook him awake. "Hey," she said softly, as he gave a snorting hiss and raised his head slightly. "It's time to get up. The sun's up."

He sat up groggily and shook his head slightly, as if trying to clear the sleep from it. Giving him a moment to wake up fully, Noodle crawled over to the corner of the shelter, where they kept a dented coffee can with a white plastic lid (the lid didn't go with the coffee can; she had found both of them separately in the refuse around them, but it fit, and that was what was important). She opened it up and took out a few of the leftover roasted squid tentacles. Then, she opened an old, ten gallon industrial bucket next to the coffee can to reveal a dark, vaguely smokey scented liquid. She picked up a chipped blue coffee mug without a handle and Sunmoonstars's water bowl and filled them both up with jellyfish juice. Resealing the bucket, she picked up the monster's rations and brought them over to him, then grabbed her own food and sat down next to him.

"I'm going to get the mast put up today," she told Sunmoonstars as the two of them quickly ate their breakfast. "I swear, that thing is going up even if it kills me. It's funny…I've got everything I need-the mast, the sail, the base, the bolts. But I can't get the bolts tight enough. The weight of the mast just pulls them back out of the base no matter how much I tighten them with my hands. Makes me wonder why I can't find some old, beat up tools in with all this garbage. Doesn't anyone ever throw their tools away when they get new ones?"

Sunmoonstars looked at her, shrugged, and slurped an entire tentacle down as though it were an oversized strand of spaghetti.

"Your table manners are still atrocious," she told him, taking a sip of the jellyfish juice. "You're lucky I spent most of my life living with three rowdy men, so I'm used to it. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd be terribly offended." She stuck her tongue out at him.

He slurped up the rest of the jellyfish juice out of his bowl loudly in response. Setting down the bowl, he stretched his long arms out over his head as if limbering himself up for the day's activities.

"Will you catch us some more fish this morning?" she asked him. Seagull hunting seemed to be fruitful at all hours of the day, but the fishing was best in the morning. "Just for about an hour. After that, I'll need you to stop by the boat. I might need your help getting the mast up."

He nodded and got up. Noodle quickly swallowed one last bite of squid tentacle and then gulped down the rest of her jellyfish juice. Setting down the cup, she cleared her throat, then belched explosively. Another thing she had 2D to thank for teaching her. "Beat that," she told the startled Sunmoonstars smugly.

Sunmoonstars, frozen in the act of pulling one of his gloves off, seemed almost taken aback. After considering a moment, he gave her a slight bob of his head, as if acknowledging her mastery of horrific table manners.

Grinning ridiculously, as if she'd actually accomplished something important, Noodle got to her feet, gave her friend a pat on the arm, and headed out the door of the shelter. Following the curve of the shoreline, she moved toward the cove where her little boat was kept. She climbed to the top of a trash ridge and saw Sunmoonstars walking along the beach, heading in the opposite direction. The creature was stripped down to his pants and boots and he was carrying the large, dented washtub. As Noodle watched, he reached the tip of a small garbage peninsula and set down the metal tub. He leaned over and pulled off his boots, revealing feet that were much like his hands-huge and light green, with long, crooked toes ending in sharp yellow claws. Choosing his footing carefully now that his feet had no protection, he moved to the very edge of the beach and a moment later, dove into the water with a loud _SPLASH!_

Mentally wishing him luck, Noodle started down the other side of the ridge, as usual, keeping one eye on her destination and the other on the ground in front of her. This vigilance wasn't only to protect herself from tripping on the jumbled refuse underfoot, but was also to keep an eye out for anything that might be useful. She had found a lot of materials for the boat this way, just by keeping her eyes peeled while walking about, rather than actively searching for them. Why, the tarp she was planning to use as a sail had been found only two days ago when she had ducked behind a couple of junked cars for a quick bathroom break. The blue tarp had actually been rolled up in the back seat of one of them! It had one or two holes in it, but they were easily patched with hot rubber from melted tires. It was amazing what she could find if she simply kept her eyes peeled. Now, if only she could find a wrench or something to tighten those bolts and anchor the mast properly, she would be all set.

As she started up a smaller hill, she realized that she could hear a strange sound coming from the other side. Muffled and coming in short, quick bursts, it almost sounded like someone coughing softly.

Her first thought was that it was Sunmoonstars, and she started up the hill again with concern. After all, they were the only two people on this island, so any sound that came from a person would have to have been made by him. But he was far behind her, fishing in the sea, and she didn't think he could have gotten from there to the other side of this hill without her seeing him, especially since she hadn't lost sight of the beach once. This gave her pause…and she slowed down as she reached the crest of the hill. Could there be someone else on this island? Someone else that neither of them had noticed until now? It seemed utterly impossible…but then, if it was, then who was coughing on the other side of this hill?

Screwing up her courage, Noodle crept to the top of the hill, looked down and saw…

Nothing.

There was no one down there.

Noodle's legs almost buckled in relief, and she laughed softly to herself. Of COURSE there was no one else around. She would have seen them long before this if there were. What she had thought was coughing was probably only the wind making some trash rustle.

_I think I've been out here too long…I'm starting to jump at shadows. Sure, I've lived at a studio full of zombies, been chased by black helicopters, attacked by pirates, and I sleep next to a demon at night, but one plastic bag rustles in the wind and I practically wet my pants in terror. _She laughed at her own foolishness and started down the slope.

And then she heard it again.

This time there was no mistaking the sound of coughing. Noodle immediately darted behind the nearest pile of junk and stuck her head out from behind it, looking down the slope in an attempt to locate the source of the noise. It seemed to issue from beside a broken, overturned washing machine, but look as she may, Noodle couldn't see anyone beside it. Just a headless teddy bear, a few pop cans, and a rotten melon rind. She was not lulled into a false sense of security again, however. Remaining on guard, she kept her eyes on the spot and waited.

Sure enough, a few moments later, the coughing sound came again, and Noodle spotted a slight movement down by the washing machine

Poking her head out a little further from her hiding place, she gazed down the slope to see what it was.

It was a pelican.

The same one that she and Sunmoonstars had seen flying away the previous night when they were heading back to the shelter.

It was huddled beside the broken washing machine, its ratty, gray-brown feathers blending into the refuse it was resting on, which was probably why she hadn't seen it before. Its flesh-ringed, almost reptilian looking eyes were dull and cloudy, and its head was bent slightly, as if something was weighing it down. As she watched, it stuck its neck out and gave that dry, gagging cough again.

She wondered what was wrong with it. Was it sick or hurt? Could it even still fly? It certainly hadn't looked like it had had much energy for flying when they had seen it last night, since it had barely been able to clear the ridges it flew over. And it looked even worse today. She wished for a moment that Sunmoonstars was there with her, since he had certainly seemed interested in catching the pelican when they had seen it last night. It was a shame he would have to miss out again.

_But there's nothing that says _I _can't try and catch it, _she realized. After all, it didn't look like it would be able to escape her easily. She didn't need Sunmoonstars's hunting skills to be able to catch it if it couldn't fly. And it would definitely make a fine meal. It was at least twice the size of the seagulls they had been eating.

Looking around, she quickly spotted a broken bedpost that she could use as a club. She picked it up and began to creep down the hill toward the unsuspecting pelican.

"It is awfully kind of you to put him out of his misery," said a dry voice from above her.

She screamed, startled out of her mind, and leaped backwards, away from the voice. She quickly swung her makeshift club in a wide arc around herself, wanting to keep back the murderer/pirate/monster/ghost/whatever it was.

"Of course, if you're not more careful, you're likely to put yourself out of your misery first, the way you're leaping around and swinging that thing," the voice said dully.

Noodle looked up in the direction the voice was coming from and saw a seagull perched on top of a shattered computer monitor that looked like it came from the 80's. It regarded her with apathy, its eye looking even duller and cloudier than the pelican's.

"Did…did you say that?" she asked, feeling a bit foolish. Although talking animals were a rarity, they did exist (she had known a few of them at Kong), but she had certainly doubted that there would be any on this isolated hunk of trash in the middle of the ocean.

"You don't see anyone else around, do you?" the seagull asked her mildly. "Except for Pelican, but he's rather busy at the moment." The bird nodded in the direction of the pelican, who was coughing again. "Are you ever going to get on with it?" the seagull called down the slope to the sick pelican. "If you're going to throw that thing up, or drop dead, or shart, or whatever you're planning to do, can you spare us the drawn-out theatrics?"

She heard the pelican mumble something that she couldn't make out, and then start hacking again.

"Never did listen to me," the seagull said flatly. It turned and preened a wing halfheartedly.

"What's wrong with him?" Noodle asked, gesturing down the slope toward the pelican. "Is he sick?"

"Ate something that didn't agree with him, or so he told me," the seagull replied. "He says it's stuck in his throat. I always did have him pegged as the type who'd eat something first and ask questions later. It certainly serves him right."

Before Noodle could open her mouth to reply, she heard a clambering from the other side of the slope and a second later, Sunmoonstars scrambled to the top, a small fish still clutched in his claws.

"Why it's the Boogieman, come to end us all," said the gull with a yawn. "How poetic."

Noodle waved to the masked creature sheepishly. She guessed he had heard her scream and had come to see if she was all right. "I'm okay," she called up to him. "This seagull just startled me. Sorry about that."

"A friend of yours, I see," the gull observed. "I shouldn't be surprised, given how both of you seem to have the exact same reaction to seeing a bird. He's better at it than you though," the gull nodded toward Sunmoonstars, who was coming down the slope to join her. "Ate one of my uncles a few days ago."

Noodle suddenly thought of the dozens upon dozens of seagull carcasses that she and Sunmoonstars had cleaned, carved, dried and now had sitting in containers in the shelter. She was starting to feel like an accomplice to a serial killer. "I'm….I'm sorry," she said uselessly, beginning to better remember why she had been a vegetarian in her youth. "We…we were hungry and…"

"I understand," the seagull said, sounding no more interested in the conversation than if they had been talking about the weather. "Circle of life and all that. Besides, he was a bore at parties."

"I…uh…um…" Noodle stammered, trying to think of something to say.

"Are YOU every going to get on with it?" the gull asked her, sounding a bit annoyed.

"I…um…'get on with it?'" Noodle asked.

"With putting us out of our misery," the seagull explained to her.

"'Us?'" Noodle asked, just as Sunmoonstars started forward. She stuck her arm in front of him to keep him where he was. "What, you're sick too?"

"Sick of this place," the gull told her.

"That's hardly a good reason to throw your life away," Noodle scolded the bird. "We're stuck here too, but you don't see US giving up!"

"Yes, I saw the little raft you're building," the seagull replied. "Terribly charming. I'm sure it will last all of ten minutes if you run into a storm."

"Well, at least we're not just lying down and giving up!" Noodle snapped. "It might be dangerous, but we're not just going to sit here waiting to die."

"And I'm sure that will be a consolation to you both when you capsize," the gull retorted evenly. "Will you get on with it now? You or the Boogieman?" he said, nodding to Sunmoonstars. "I'm sure you're both hungry, correct?"

Noodle put up her arm yet again to keep Sunmoonstars from attacking. "No," she told the bird. "I'm not going to let you just commit suicide like that!"

Sunmoonstars looked at her with his head cocked to the side, as if wondering why she seemed perfectly fine with eating unwilling victims but refused to devour something that actually WANTED to be eaten.

"Quiet," she told him, not really feeling like explaining right now. Especially since she didn't feel like she even HAD a good explanation. It just felt wrong to her.

"I don't believe he said anything," said the seagull with disinterest.

"You be quiet too," Noodle told him in irritation. She looked down the slope at the still coughing pelican. "I'm going to go down there and see if I can help your friend. Since I assume he doesn't share your 'optimistic' outlook on things?"

"I don't suppose he'd turn down your help, if that's what you're asking," the seagull replied.

Noodle started down the hill, motioning for Sunmoonstars to join her, since she didn't quite trust leaving him alone with the depressed seagull. Once she reached the bottom, she knelt carefully beside the coughing pelican, noticing with amusement that it was wearing a tiny red bobble hat. "Hello?" she said, placing her hands gently on its back and smoothing the dull, grayish feathers.

The bird hacked a few more times, then looked up at the two of them. "Oh hello," it gasped out, its voice inflection rising and falling erratically. "It's the Grim Reaper and…and you," it added, focusing a bleary eye on just Noodle. "Are you an angel?"

She laughed slightly. "No, I'm not an angel," she told it. "I'm Noodle."

"Didn't think noodles came when you were dying," the pelican said, in between coughs. "And I thought the Grim Reaper would be wearing a shirt." It shook its head violently as if trying to dislodge something. "Sorry I can't say a proper hello. I couldn't get this sorted before you two came." He hacked again.

"You're not dead, and we're not here to take you to the afterlife," Noodle explained to him. "I came to see if there's anything I can do to help."

"I'm in a frightful condition," the pelican told her. In addition to the odd rising and falling voice inflection, it had a strange habit of stretching random words out. "I ate a lump of metal. Thought it was a fish. Both of them are shiny. But it didn't go down my throat like a fish. Not slippery enough. Now I can't get it out."

"Can I see?" Noodle asked him, reaching out to touch his throat pouch. She actually thought she could see a lump in there, which was probably whatever "shiny thing" he had swallowed.

"I guess you can't make it worse," the pelican told her. He stretched his neck out a bit for her.

Noodle gently felt the bird's throat pouch, and sure enough, felt something hard and roughly a foot long inside, near where the pouch met his throat. It was narrow too, but seemed to flare out a bit at both ends. Which would make it hard to swallow, she supposed. And hard to cough back up as well. "I wonder if I can move it around a bit and make it easier for you to spit out," she said. Without waiting for a response, she took hold of the end of it through the thin leathery pouch and began to gently wiggle it back and forth. It seemed to work at first, as the obstruction seemed fairly loose and Noodle didn't feel much resistance when she moved it. But when she tried to pull it forward, the resistance increased and she felt her fingers begin to slip. Trying to keep from losing her grip on whatever it was, Noodle gave it a final hard tug.

It moved forward slightly….stopped…and then her fingers slipped from it and it bounced back into the pelican's throat.

The pelican gave several loud, harsh hacks to keep the object from sliding further into his throat. "Oh, don't do that, don't do that…" he gasped out. "If it goes back any further, I won't be able to breathe. That's much worse than coughing!"

"Okay, okay," Noodle reassured him. "I'll try to figure out another way to get it out." She thought for a moment. "Maybe if you open your mouth, I can reach in there and grab it."

"I guess it's worth a try," the pelican said, and held open his beak for her.

Noodle reached inside and gently felt around for the object. The inside of the pouch was a bit wet and slimy, and she grimaced. Summoning a bit more courage, she reached a little further back into the bird's throat. Just as her fingers touched smooth, slick metal, the pelican's gag reflex kicked in and she lost her grip on the object.

"Damn it!" she shouted, as the pelican shook her hand free from his mouth. "I almost had it!"

Next to her, Sunmoonstars gave a hissing sigh of boredom and sat down on the washing machine. He was still holding the fish he'd brought with him, and it dangled from his long fingers by its tail.

The pelican perked up a bit as soon as he caught sight of the fish. "Oh, that looks tasty," he said, eyeing the fish longingly. "I haven't been able to eat for days with this thing in my throat. Give anything to be able to swallow a fish like that right now."

Sunmoonstars jerked the fish away from the pelican and held it in his lap protectively.

"Sunmoonstars!" Noodle said to him in exasperation. "It's only one fish. And Pelican needs it. He just aid he hasn't eaten in days! Give it here." She held out her hand expectantly.

Sunmoonstars hesitated for a moment, then pitched the fish in her general direction. It missed her hand by a mile and landed on her right foot with a _plop! _Noodle shot him a reproachful look, but he had turned his back on her and was looking out at the sea. Rather intently.

She rolled her eyes at him anyway and picked up the fish. "Here," she said, holding it out to the pelican. "Consider it a complimentary breakfast from the two of us."

The pelican shook his head. "I told you, I can't swallow anything. That lump of metal keeps getting in the way."

"Well, you can't just sit there and starve to death," said Noodle. "Will you at least try and eat it? It's a pretty small fish….maybe it can get past the obstruction."

"All right," the pelican. "Throw it in." He held his beak open and waited.

Noodle tossed the fish into the bird's mouth. The pelican snapped his beak shut and tipped his head back. He made as if to swallow the fish, paused, shook his beak a bit as if trying to reposition the fish, tipped his head back again, hesitated…and swallowed.

"Hey, it worked!" the pelican said with delight. "Went down nice and easy! I think it…" His voice trailed off, and his face scrunched up a bit, as though he were suddenly in pain.

"Are…are you okay?" Noodle asked him apprehensively.

His response was a massive belch, one that put her performance at breakfast to shame. And as he did so, a silver wrench flew out of his beak and landed on Sunmoonstars's bare foot.

The creature's hiss of pain sounded like water hitting a hot skillet. He leapt from his spot on the washing machine and started hopping around on one foot. A moment later, Noodle heard a clank of metal from beneath his foot as some trash must have shifted…and down he went.

Noodle clapped both hands over her mouth to try and smother her laughter as he fell over with a clatter. "Oh dear…" she snickered. She considered going to him and seeing if he was all right, but suspected that that might be a good way to lose an eye.

The pelican, in the meantime, had waddled up next to her. "That grub sorted me right out," he told her, his eyes looking much brighter and more alert than they had been earlier. "I can't thank you enough Miss Noodle!" He opened and closed his beak several times and then shook his head, as if marveling at how much lighter his beak felt now that the wrench was gone. "Oh, it feels nice not to have that lump of metal in there anymore! No more coughing! And I think I could eat without any trouble now too. I don't suppose you have any more of those fish, do you Mr. Reaper?" This last sentence was directed at Sunmoonstars, who had finally gotten to his feet and was now looming over the both of them.

Sunmoonstars's reply was a vicious kick that the pelican just barely managed to avoid. The bird squawked in surprise and tried to fly away, but lacked the strength to get off the ground and broke into a waddling run instead. Sunmoonstars lunged after him, and pelican darted around the other side of the washing machine. The masked monster followed and the two of them were soon running in circles around the overturned machine, looking like something out of a Loony Tunes short.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Noodle shouted at the both of them.

Sunmoonstars skidded to a halt, giving her a sharp, pointed look that she could only interpret as a glare. The pelican, however, kept on running and had soon circled back around the other side of the washing machine, where he ran head on into the now stationary Sunmoonstars's legs. He flipped over onto his back with a loud "OOF!"

Noodle darted over and snatched the pelican into her arms before Sunmoonstars could kick him again. "Time out, time out!" she said frantically, trying to keep the pelican out of the furious demon's reach.

"I must say, if the three of you are trying to break me out of my depression with an impromptu comedy act, you're not doing a very good job," came the seagull's voice. Noodle looked up in surprise to see that he had flown down to join them and was now perched on the handle of a rusted lawnmower. He yawned again. "I've seen better."

"No you haven't, Seagull," said the pelican. "You've never been off this island."

The gull sighed. "I don't suppose you could stick that spanner back in his throat for me?" he asked Noodle.

"Now Seagull..." the pelican began.

"Uh, why don't I take you back to our shelter rand give you some more fish to eat?" Noodle interrupted. "We've got plenty, and the sooner you get some food in you, the sooner you'll get your strength back."

"Oh, that sounds nice," said the pelican. "Lead the way, Miss Noodle."

"Do you want to come too?" Noodle asked the seagull.

"I'd like to think I have better things to do," the gull replied. He sighed again. "_Like _to think anyway."

"Suit yourself," Noodle told him. Then she turned to Sunmoonstars, who was sitting on the washing machine again. "And as for you, Grumpy," she said, not without affection. "You are excused. You might want to go work off some of that aggression by catching us some lunch for later. Although I think maybe we should stick to seafood for the rest of our time here," she added, thinking of the seagull's late uncle. She could only keep her fingers crossed and hope that they wouldn't run into a talking _fish _before they got off this island.

Sunmoonstars sighed in exasperation, but he nodded. He started to get up, but Noodle reached out and caught him by the nose. "Oh, and thank you for sacrificing that fish you caught for Pelican," she told him, batting her eyelashes at him. "It was very sweet." She gave him a chaste little kiss on the tip of his nose.

He hesitated for a long moment, then reached up and delicately brushed a hair out of her face with the tip of one long claw. Then he lowered his hand and gave the pelican a halfhearted pat on the head. Seemingly satisfied that peace had been made between the three of them, he got up and started limping toward the beach.

_Well, that takes care of him, anyway… _Noodle thought as she watched him go. She adjusted her grip on the pelican so that he was easier to carry, stooped down and grabbed the wrench, and then turned and started up the hill, nodding to the bored looking seagull as she passed him.

"What kinds of fish do you have at your shelter?" the pelican asked her as they walked.

"Oh…uh…lots of kinds," Noodle told him, not really wanting to admit that she didn't know a codfish from a goldfish. "Big ones, little ones, shiny ones…uh….not so shiny ones."

"Sounds delicious!" said the pelican. "I'll have one of each!"

"Well, don't eat _too _many," Noodle told him with a laugh. "Those are our supplies for when we're out at sea. And we'll definitely be leaving sooner, rather than later, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" the pelican asked her.

"Yes, thanks to you," Noodle replied. She held up the wrench. "This 'lump of metal' that you coughed up was just what I needed to get the boat finished today. If all goes well, we should be ready to sail first thing tomorrow!"

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**See, I promised more action, and I delivered!**

**Feeding Pelican counts as action, right?**

**Right?**

**Well, at least now Noodle can fix the elev…er, I mean, finish building the boat!**


	12. Bonus Chapter

**The Amazing Finale**

Noodle jumped up on the boat, ready to set sail. Soon, they would leave Plastic Beach forever, and it was a good thing, because she had finally decided what she wanted to do once they reached shore. She wanted to find Murdoc and screw his brains out. Yes, she had finally understood just why she had been so jealous of the cyborg. It was because she was sure Murdoc was tapping it, and all her life, she had wanted him to tap HER instead. Now, she had finally admitted it to herself, and soon she would find the demon bass player and make him hers.

Suddenly, Sunmoonstars popped out from behind a crashed blimp. "Oh, Noodle, I made us some breakfast before the journey," he said in a sweet, clear voice.

"Since when could you talk, you ugly freak?" Noodle asked him. "Anyway, go away. I don't need you anymore. Murdoc's going to be my new man. Buzz off."

"But Noodle," he protested. "Don't you even want to have something to eat before you go? I spent all morning cooking it." He held out a garbage can lid on which rested two roasted birds.

"OMG, you cooked Seagull and Pelican for me!" she exclaimed, her mouth watering. "I guess you are good for something. Come up on the boat with me, you big hunk of a demon, and we'll eat."

He hopped up eagerly. "lol, I was so afraid you weren't going to give me a chance," he said, lust burning in his eyes. "I've loved you for so long, Noodle. Surely that hideous Murdoc can't hold a candle to me, can he?"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself," Noodle shot back. "Murdoc is much sexier than you. He has great hair, you know. You don't have any. And veiny heads and long noses that could put an eye out aren't my thing."

"Maybe I look handsome underneath this mask," Sunmoonstars said, somehow managing to wink at her.

"Take it off and we'll see," Noodle told him.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the demon was undoing the straps on the mask. He pulled it off to reveal…

"OMG, Paula Cracker!" Noodle exclaimed, as the other guitarist grinned at her. "What a twist!"

"You know Noodle," said Paula. "All those things I told you as Sunmoonstars…they were all true."

It was then that Noodle discovered her true feelings.

"Oh Paula, I suddenly feel the same way!" she said, joyfully. "Come, let us sail away together and create our own all-girl band!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Paula shouted, as the two of them threw their arms around each other.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The next day, the boat sank and they both died.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**Happy April First, everyone! :P**

**The real Chapter 12 will be posted soon ;)**


	13. Risks Worth Taking

**Risks Worth Taking**

**Here's the real chapter. And why do I feel like it suffers in comparison to a joke chapter I typed in ten minutes? :P**

**Also, Noodle's boat is based on **_**Junk, **_**a raft made out of garbage that was used to raise awareness about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch…which of course, is what Plastic Beach is based off of.**

Noodle stepped back and surveyed her handiwork a final time. The little boat was completed and as seaworthy as she could make it. It floated on pontoons made of hundreds of plastic bottles and pieces of Styrofoam, all tied together with salvaged fishing nets. The body was made of scrapwood and plastic pipes and sheet metal, all fastened together with more fishing nets and salvaged rope and a few nails and bolts she'd been able to find. On top was a mast made of one of the plastic palm tree trunks Murdoc had decorated the island with. The rudder was an old car door, and the sail was a plastic tarp, topped off with a flag she'd made of an old, tie-dyed tee shirt she'd found in with all the other garbage. On it, in dirty motor oil, she'd scrawled: _ Last Chance. _A fitting name, for what truly was their only hope of leaving this place alive.

She heard Sunmoonstars come down the slope behind her. She turned toward him and saw that he held a large oil drum full of jellyfish juice. As he carried the heavy container toward the boat, he broke into a run, then, as he reached the boat, leapt from the beach and landed on the boat's deck with a loud _thunk!_ As she watched, he carried the large container over to the outer shell of one of the junked cars, which had been lashed to the boat's deck with rusty chains, serving as a sort of makeshift shelter and storage area for their supplies. He put the drum into the car's trunk with another _thunk, _and, a moment later, had jumped back down from the boat to join her on the beach.

"Is that the last of the juice?" she asked him

He nodded.

"How many more containers are still left at the shelter?"

He showed her two fingers.

"Terrific, it's almost all packed up," she said, making herself give him a smile. "Where would I be without you to do all the heavy lifting?" She forced a laugh.

He paused and seemed to look at her speculatively, the sunrise reflecting in his goggled eyes. She knew he could tell she was nervous. He seemed to be good at picking up on her moods, even when she was doing her best to hide them. Feeling self conscious, she dropped her eyes from his and toed at the refuse underfoot. "I'm fine," she told him, although she was really trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "I'm just nervous. I…I know we're taking a big risk by leaving this island. There's a chance we won't make it to land. Maybe a big chance. You…you know that, right?" She looked back up at him.

He nodded, and then just stood there, as if he knew she would say more.

She fought the urge to stare back at the ground. "I…I really don't want to put you or Pelican in danger…I know that I am by taking you on this boat…I know you want to get off this island as much as I do…I know risk is inevitable…I know that you know that…I know we all have no choice…I know I'm rambling…" She forced another laugh and stared at the ground intently once more. "I…I guess I just want you to know that you don't have to come, but if you do, I'll do anything in my power to get you to land safely, but I can't promise I'll be able to…and…and…" _I want to know if you'll forgive me if you die. Only I can't say that because it's too horrible and I could never ask anyone that anyway, and…_

Sunmoonstars took hold of her and lifted her into his arms.

"No, no!" she tried to protest. "I don't need a hug! I'm fine, really! I really am…I…oh…the hell with it…" She slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him back.

"Thanks," she whispered, as he set her down.

Once her feet were firmly back on terra firma, she forced herself to re-gather her courage and start acting like a leader again. "Listen, why don't _I_ go get the last two containers and load them onto the boat?" she told him. "You go and catch us some breakfast. I'd like to leave as soon as we've eaten, and everything will go faster if we divide up the labor."

He nodded and the two of them set off on their respective tasks.

Noodle climbed the slope and headed back to the shelter. Once inside, she paused, startled by how empty it looked. It had gotten quite crowded with containers of supplies in the past few days, so much so that it looked quite strange now that it was empty again. She scanned the little room, taking in the huge window, the relatively flat surface below it where they slept, and the garbage filled wall on the other side of the room. There honestly wasn't much to look at here…it was a filthy and yet, strangely sterile little shelter that they had called home this past week and a half…and yet, Noodle felt the strangest bit wistful when she realized that she would almost certainly never see it again. It wasn't that she had been happy here…but she certainly hadn't been as miserable as she thought she'd be. Aside from her first night here and the day that had followed, all her memories of this place had been pleasant ones. Waking up to the washtub full of food her second morning here….emergency cooking lessons out front…excitedly planning and building the boat…looking at the stars from the doorway of the shelter and then later, on the hill behind it…feeding Pelican fish after fish and discovering what a bottomless pit such a small animal could truly be….waking up in the middle of the night to find slender but strong arms around her, keeping the helicopter dreams away.

She wasn't sure she could say she would miss this place, but it hadn't been so bad, either.

Shaking herself out of her musings, she went over to the corner and picked up one of the two plastic containers full of dried meat. As she carried it out the door, she heard the loud beating of wings and a second later, Pelican had landed on a small garbage mound beside her.

"Hey, Pelican," she said. "Still haven't managed to convince Seagull to come with us?"

The seabird shook his head sadly. "Nope," he said. "He's too scared.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that what he said?"

"Nope," Pelican admitted. "He said he's not stupid enough to 'sail into oblivion on a junk raft with me and a crazy girl and a masked freak.'" Pelican shook his head in confusion. "I don't know what he means by that, Miss Noodle," he said. "I think he's just scared."

"I think you're right," Noodle agreed, a touch indignantly. Crazy girl? Sail into oblivion? She may have been nervous about the voyage and their chances of surviving it, but that blasted Seagull was far more pessimistic than she would ever be. Not to mention more insulting… "I think that maybe he's a coward," she said hotly.

"That's what I said to him, Miss Noodle," Pelican replied. "But he said he wasn't a coward. He said that I was just stupid. I'm not stupid, Miss Noodle! I just want to get off the island! And he wants to get off it even more than me, but he won't come! And he's says _I'm_ the one who's stupid! I don't understand him sometimes. And then he says that make me even more stupid!"

"You aren't stupid, Pelican," Noodle reassured him, hoping she was keeping a straight face. "It's not stupid to want to escape a prison. It's not even stupid to take risks to escape it, as long as you consider them risks worth taking. That's what I think."

"You're very wise, Miss Noodle," the bird told her. "I know you'll get us to shore! And when you do…I'm going to laugh in Seagull's face!"

"Uh…of course," Noodle replied torn between being touched by his faith in her and feeling guilty about it. "Uh…Pelican…you do know that there's a big possibility that Seagull is right and our boat might sink before we make it to shore, right?" She supposed she owed him the same conversation she'd had with Sunmoonstars, since she didn't want to drag either of her passengers on a deadly voyage without them both understanding and agreeing to the risks. "I'm going to try my hardest to keep you safe…but it might not be enough. We could die, Pelican."

"Oh, we won't die," he replied cheerfully. "I know you'll take care of us! Don't worry, Miss Noodle! Seagull's just being an idiot! In fact, I'm gonna go tell him now!"

"Wait!" Noodle said to him, just as he spread his wings. "I was just trying to make sure you knew about the danger, not get into an argument with Seagull. Since you still want to come with us, be ready in an hour, okay? Sunmoonstars is getting us some breakfast, and we'll leave right after we've eaten. So I want you to make sure you're ready to go by then, all right?"

"Okay, Miss Noodle!" Pelican replied. "What should I do until then?"

"Oh…uh…anything you want," said Noodle, starting off toward the boat with her container of supplies. "Take a good last look around the island, say goodbye to the rest of your bird buddies, keep trying to convince Seagull to join us. Whatever will pass the time for you."

"Okay, Miss Noodle," the Pelican called after her, and she heard the sound of his wings as he took off. "Hey Seagull!" she heard him call out. "Hey Seagull! Miss Noodle says we could die but you're a coward who should take risks to get out of prison but I think you're an idiot and you should come with us…" His voice faded as he flew out of earshot.

If she hadn't been in such a foul mood, Noodle might have started giggling. "With persuasion skills like those, I'm surprised he hasn't sold someone a bridge in Brooklyn yet," was all she said, before heading off to finish packing up the boat.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Boogieman swam strongly after the yellow and black striped fish, pulling himself agilely through the water with powerful strokes of his arms. The fish darted around a submerged car and the Boogieman followed it, squeezing his slender body into the space between the car and the garbage behind it, just in time to see the fish's tail disappear into what looked like an overturned, empty paint can. Realizing his quarry had trapped itself, he stuck his hand forcefully into the paint can, fingers pointed outward, and felt a satisfying crunch as the fish was impaled on one of his claws.

He pulled his hand out of the paint can, bringing the still wriggling fish out with it, along with a small puff of blood. Closing his hand around his latest catch, he pulled himself to the surface and quickly swam to the shore, where the overturned washtub waited. He lifted it and tossed the now dead fish underneath to join all the others he had caught, then set it back down over all the fish to protect them from the seagulls. Slipping back into the water, he scanned the murky gloom all around him for his next target.

It wasn't long before he spotted a dark, sprawling shape about the size of his hand moving slowly out from behind a broken teapot on a submerged garbage slope to his right. A closer look revealed it to be a small, green, one-eyed octopus. It seemed similar to the one-eyed squids he often caught in these waters, except that it was smaller and rounder and its eye took up a much larger proportion of its body. Still, it would certainly be a fine edition to the breakfast table, and the Boogieman began to swim stealthily after it.

He came at it at from behind, hoping its large eye wouldn't see him coming, but at the last moment, just as his claws were about to snag the thing, it shot out a jet of ink into his face and propelled itself from submerged slope out into the open water beyond.

Having anticipated this possibility, he quickly stuck his other hand out in front of the thing, trying to cut off its escape route, but the ink made it hard to see where exactly the mollusk was headed. For a brief instant, he felt something snag the claw on his pinky finger and then it was gone. A moment later, the ink cleared, revealing a single tentacle stuck to his claw.

He pulled the tentacle from his claw in frustration and scanned the area around him, trying to see where the octopus had gone, but there was no sign of it. It had escaped.

He was just about to give up and look for a new target when he spotted something round on the slope below him. His first thought was that it was the octopus, but he soon realized that it was much too small. Curious anyway, he propelled himself toward the surface with a kick of his legs, tipped his head back and stuck the snout of his mask out of the water like a snorkel, snatched a quick breath, then dived down toward the object.

It was smooth and hard as his hand closed around it, and when he wiped the grime away he could see a shiny, light brown surface speckled with darker brown spots. He turned it over to reveal a long, narrow opening traveling lengthwise down the middle of it, an opening which was flanked by numerous blunt white "teeth." His best guess was that it was a seashell of some sort, but it certainly didn't look like the typical snail and clam shells he occasionally saw among the garbage during his fishing trips.

He shook it slightly, wondering if there was a snail or other creature still inside, but the shaking revealed nothing. He supposed he would have to crack it open to know for sure. Deciding that it was worth carrying back to check out later (snails were just as edible as octopuses, after all), he quickly swam to the beach and tossed it and the single octopus tentacle under the washtub before diving back beneath the surface to continue his fishing.

A short while later, he decided he had caught enough fish to make an adequate breakfast for the three of them and headed back to the shelter. He was already halfway back there when it hit him that he was never going to have to go fishing again. Not that it was bad work…he had even gotten rather good at it...but it was a useless activity anywhere but here and one that he would no longer need to partake in once he left the island. Just as he would no longer need to stay with the girl. Pleasant things that were temporary. He knew that. He had made his peace with that. There was no more need for foolish thoughts and musings.

The girl had a small fire ready by the time he got back, and he quickly set down his washtub and set to work cleaning the fish he had caught. As soon as he finished preparing one, he would hand it to her to thread onto one of the skewers. A few of them he set aside for the pelican, since it ate its fish raw. Soon, the washtub was empty except for the lone octopus tentacle and the seashell he'd found.

"Where's the rest of it?" the girl asked him as he picked up the tentacle.

He merely shrugged and handed it to her to put on the skewer. It wasn't like he could tell her an elaborate story about the One That Got Away.

"Got away, did he?" she asked him. She gave him a rather wooden smile. "Ah well, he probably tasted nasty anyway. Who needs him, right?" She gave a laugh that he could tell was fake.

She still seemed so nervous about their upcoming escape from the island. He could tell by her behavior that she was actually quite afraid they would die on the voyage, and as the time of their departure grew nearer, she seemed to be getting more and more edgy. He wished there was something he could do to make her feel better. He couldn't exactly give her a pep talk, and even if he could, what was he supposed to say? That there was no danger of them dying? They both knew that wasn't true, so what good would lying do? Still, he wished there were something he could do, to cheer her up at least, even if he couldn't ease her fears. But the hug he'd given her earlier certainly hadn't helped, and that was the extent of his knowledge of sympathetic gestures. He sighed.

She turned to give him a questioning look, but her eyes immediately caught sight of the only object still in the tub. "Did you bring back a seashell?" A smile, a real one, teased at the corners of her mouth for a moment, and her eyes glittered with amusement.

He nodded and picked it up, wondering again if there was a snail inside. He shook it again, but that didn't tell him anything more than the last time had.

"That's a cowry shell," he heard her say. "I didn't think any of them were native tot these waters. Then again, this place does have stuff that the currents brought from all over the ocean. Maybe it traveled a long way to get here." She reached for the shell. "May I?" she asked.

He handed it to her, glad to have found something to take her mind off her nervousness.

"Cowries are actually a kind of snail, although you wouldn't know it from looking at their shells. They definitely don't have the typical spiral shape most snails have." She smiled and held it up to her ear. "I can hear the ocean pretty well. Must be empty."

He supposed that answered his question. Although it likely didn't matter anyway. They had plenty of food, and one snail wasn't going to make a difference.

She placed the shell back in his hand. "Try it," she said almost cheerfully.

He obediently held the shell up to his head and listened, but all he could hear was something that sounded like a distant, echoing wind. It certainly didn't sound like the ocean. He cocked his head at her, wondering if she was teasing him.

She beamed at him. "Neat huh?"

Deciding that she was serious, he nodded his head politely, deciding it was best to go along with her whimsical belief if it made her happy.

"Those are supposed to be good luck," she continued, gesturing at the seashell. "In some cultures, anyway. In others, they're a symbol of fertility." She laughed. "I suppose because the round shell looks like a pregnant belly and the crack on the other side reminds people of a-"

"Is it time for breakfast yet?" a loud voice interrupted her.

The two of them turned to see the pelican perched on top of a mound of trash behind them.

"Oh, hello Pelican!" said the girl. "Still no luck with Seagull?"

The bird shook his head sadly. "Nope. He called me an annoying peon!" His beady little eyes twinkled with confusion. "What's a peon?"

"Never mind," the girl laughed. "He's just being a grouch. Just think, soon you won't have to put up with his insults anymore."

"I guess not," said the pelican, although he sounded anything but happy about the idea. "I wonder if he'll miss me..."

"Who knows?" said the girl, all traces of mirth suddenly gone from her face. "Sometimes you don't realize what someone means to you until they're gone." Her face clouded and she was suddenly busy with turning the skewers full of cooking fish.

"Well that's a bloody stupid way to be!" the bird suddenly snapped, sounding distressed for the first time since the Boogieman had met him. "What good does it do to figure something out when it's too late to do anything about it?"

The girl gently reached out and smoothed the bird's dull brownish feathers. "I know…I know," she said softly. "I'm so sorry, Pelican. I didn't realize how much he means to you."

"Stupid Seagull," the pelican said forlornly, hanging his head and staring at the garbage underfoot. "I hope he gets run over by an old jalopy!"

The Boogieman gave the pelican an odd look. Was that a common way of meeting one's demise on a floating landfill?

"Hey…c'mon now…" said the girl, stroking the bird's feathers again. "I know you don't mean that. Here, why don't you calm down and have your breakfast?" She gestured toward a pile of uncooked fish that the Boogieman had set aside for him earlier.

"Okay," he said glumly, hopping down off the garbage heap and waddling over to the fish. "But I'm not really hungry anymore."

"I'll bet you'll change you mind once you taste them," the girl told him. "Look, there's a yellow striped one!"

The Boogieman tuned them out, feeling a bit glad that the girl seemed to have a bit more pep now, even if she still didn't really sound happy. He supposed having to take a leadership role and help the rest of them out took her mind off her nervousness. Well, that and looking at seashells…

The thought reminded him that he still held the odd snail shell in his hand. He looked down at it, gleaming in the morning sunlight like glazed porcelain. He supposed he should throw it away, since it was empty and of no use to any of them, but strangely enough…he found himself feeling a bit reluctant to dispose of something that had made her happy, even if it was only briefly. Even though he had no idea what else he could do with it. Maybe he could give it to her, since she seemed to like it so much.

Suddenly, it was as if a light switch had been turned on in his head. A gift! That's what would cheer her up! Humans were always happily exchanging gifts with one another! A gift would make her far happier and for far longer than any measly hug could. This was perfect. He would give her the shell as a present, and it would cheer her up and take her mind off her worries. It even might have symbolic value, since she had said that particular type of shell signified good luck. Giving her such a shell would be a way of saying "I wish you luck on this voyage." It all fit together perfectly. He actually began to feel quite impressed with himself for thinking of such an idea.

He looked back down at the shell again. So…what was he supposed to do exactly? Just hand the thing to her? It seemed a bit…unceremonious. She might think he was just giving it to her to look at again. And he couldn't talk, so he couldn't explain that it was a gift and what it meant and why he was giving it to her. And maybe she would think such a gift was silly anyway. What was she supposed to do with a seashell? Put it away in a drawer? Walk around holding it in her hand? No, he needed to find a way to dress it up a little bit, to make it obvious that this was a gift for her to cherish. He scanned the refuse all around them, pondering, and his eyes happened upon a piece of neon yellow plastic twine.

The idea now firmly cemented in his mind, he picked up the twine with one hand, and with his other, he began to drill a small hole in the top of the shell with one of his claws.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The octopus finally emerged from the old leather boot it had stuffed itself into, blood still leaking from the stump of its severed tentacle. Its huge, single eye swiveled up to gaze toward the surface, where it had last seen the infernal abomination. This would never do. The holy guardian of the seas was supposed to have vanquished the demon. What was it doing still swimming these waters and preying upon the sea life? Could the octopus's master have failed? And even now, be slumbering, unaware that his prey still prowled this island? Such a thing was unacceptable.

This situation would have to be remedied.

The octopus began to propel itself toward the depths, where it knew its master awaited.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Noodle stood on the deck of the _Last Chance _and took one more look at Plastic Beach. She knew she would not miss it, but she also knew she would never forget it either, and truthfully, she didn't really want to. This past week and a half had shaped her, helped her pick herself up and build her confidence anew, and she once again felt comfortable standing on her own two feet. Whatever the future brought, she would be ready for it, and she would face it with her head held high

Taking one final glance at the ruined plastic island, she turned and began to make the final preparations for the voyage, determined to remember her newfound confidence no matter how frightening the journey ahead would be. She double-checked the ropes that worked the sail, made sure everything on the boat was still fastened properly, and made sure all their food, jellyfish juice, tools and supplies for emergency repairs were all accounted for. Everything was as it should be. They were ready.

She turned to her two passengers, but to her surprise, only Pelican was there, perched forlornly on top of the car's roof.

"Where's Sunmoonstars?" she asked him.

"Behind you," Pelican said dejectedly.

Noodle whirled around to see the demon standing over her, arms raised above her head as if he were planning to slip something around her neck. Something made of yellow…twine?

"What the heck are you doing?" Noodle asked him, as he quickly hid whatever it was behind his back and shook his fist at Pelican. "You're not trying to strangle me, are you? It's a bit early in the trip for the passengers to mutiny. At least wait until we're on the water." She mugged at him.

He merely stood there in evident embarrassment, whatever it was still hidden behind his back.

"What've you got there?" Noodle asked him.

He hesitated a moment longer, then took his hand out from behind his back and held it out in front of him. In his huge palm was the cowry shell he'd found, a loop of twine threaded through a small hole in the top. It was a necklace. He'd made the seashell into a necklace.

"Is this for me?" she asked hesitantly.

He nodded, then dropped his blank round eyes from hers and shifted his feet self-consciously.

Noodle took the crude necklace from him and held it up in front of her, wondering what on earth had possessed Sunmoonstars to do such a thing. "It's beautiful," she told him, hoping he wouldn't hear the little white lie in her voice. Truthfully, it looked a bit clunky, and twine certainly wouldn't be the most comfortable thing to wear around her neck, but…it was a gift. He had made a gift for her.

And the idea that the big scary demon had tried to make her a clumsy gift suddenly struck her so adorable that she threw her arms around him.

"I love it. Thank you," she said to him, as he lifted her into his arms and hugged her back.

"What brought all this on?" she asked him warmly. "How come you're being extra nice to me today?"

He paused for a moment, as if trying to think if how to communicate what he wanted to say. Setting her down, he reached out and traced a line from the corner of her eye with the back of his claw. He shook his head, pointed at the shell, then traced a U-shape over her mouth and nodded.

"Oh, you wanted to cheer me up?" Noodle said, after a moment's pondering. "Is that it?"

He nodded vigorously. Then, he gestured at the boat around them, pointed toward the eastern horizon, then at the shell, then made the sign for "good."

"And the shell will make us have a good trip?" she guessed.

He nodded again. Despite the mask, she could have sworn he was beaming.

"How will it…?" she wondered, before remembering their conversation before breakfast. "Oh, because I said they were good luck in some cultures? Is that what it is? A good luck charm?"

"Either that or he wants you to get pregnant," said Pelican from behind them.

Sunmoonstars had lunged at him before Noodle could even finish turning around. The bird squawked and took off just as the demon landed beside him on top of the car. Sunmoonstars just barely missed him as he took a swipe at the flying bird, managing to pull out a tail feather. Pelican squawked again and flew up on top of the mast, where Sunmoonstars couldn't reach him.

"Don't fight," Noodle scolded them, trying to ignore the fact that her cheeks suddenly felt hotter than a stove. "We're going to be out at sea a long time. If you two can't behave yourselves before we even leave the shore, how do you expect to survive weeks of being cooped up together?" But it was scolding without any anger behind it. She was still so charmed by Sunmoonstars's little gift that she decided she could put up with a little bickering. She slipped the necklace on with a smile, then turned to her two passengers.

"It looks like we're ready to set sail," she told them. "Sunmoonstars, would you do the honors of launching the boat?"

He nodded and shook his fist at Pelican a final time before hopping down from the car, and then down from the boat onto the beach. He placed both hands on the boat, and then, bracing his feet against the shore, began to push with all his might.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Noodle began to wonder if she should get down and help him. But then the little boat began to slowly slide from the beach into the water. The water splashed as the pontoons came in contact with it, and as they did so, pushing it suddenly seemed to become much easier. With a final shove, Sunmoonstars got the boat completely in the water and then pulled himself back aboard.

"We're floating!" Noodle marveled, as the little raft began to bob in the surf. Although she had done everything possible t make sure the little boat would stay afloat, it still seemed amazing to her to actually see firsthand that it worked. She quickly ran to the mast and started adjusting the sail. A few pulls and twists of the ropes, and the sail had unfurled and caught the wind. Soon the boat was heading northeast at high speed.

"Goodbye, Plastic Beach," Noodle said, watching the island begin to shrink with distance behind them.

"Goodbye, Seagull," said Pelican softly.

As if in answer, she heard a distant seagull call from the island.

"Maybe that's him saying goodbye to you," Noodle said to Pelican gently.

"He's a wanker," Pelican said, turning around on the mast so that his back was to the island.

The seagull called again, sounding closer this time.

Beside her, Sunmoonstars perked up, looking out at the sea behind them. Noodle followed his gaze and saw a small white dot following them.

"You don't suppose…?" she said to Sunmoonstars, watching the dot slowly gain on them.

The seagull called again.

Pelican had finally had enough. "I said you're a WANKER!" he shouted, turning back to face the island. "You hear that? You're a-SEAGULL!"

Sure enough, the dot had finally resolved itself into the gloomy seagull, flying toward them at top speed. A moment later he had reached the boat and landed on the hood of the car.

"I don't suppose you have room for one more?" he asked dryly, as if it didn't really matter what her answer would be, as if there were another boat that would be there in ten minutes to pick him up if this one happened to be full.

"Of course we do!" Noodle said, grinning at him. "I'm glad you changed your mind! I think Pelican is too," she said as Pelican glided down from the mast and landed beside him.

"Hooray, Seagull!" he shouted, flapping his huge wings excitedly. "I always knew you'd come with us! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I did!"

"Yes, well, don't make me regret that decision," Seagull shot back. "Honestly, if you flap your wings in my face any harder, I'm likely to get blown off this car and end up in the drink."

"Why DID you decide to come with us?" Noodle wondered.

The bird sighed. "I suppose it was what Pelican said to me earlier. Or rather, what you told him to say. All that bother about prisons and escape and risks and such. I realized that you were my last chance of leaving that plastic prison, and that, if I didn't go with you, I'd spend the rest of my life miserable and regretting my lost chance. And perhaps even missing my…anchor. A little." He sighed again. "I don't know if that's worse than dying out at sea, but I'm willing to take the risk."

"I'm glad," Noodle told him. "And I promise I'll do whatever I can to get you to land. I know it's dangerous, but I also know we can make it, with a little teamwork, a little cooperation, a little hard work," she touched the shell around her neck. "And a little luck."

"I think you should work on your pep talks," the bird told her with a yawn. "That was painful to listen to."

"Now Seagull," Pelican said, as Noodle tried and failed to think of something cutting to say in return. "Miss Noodle is being serious. She has a lucky pregnant seashell that's gonna keep us from sinking!"

"I assure you that that eases my mind considerably," the gull said mildly. He lifted a foot and scratched the back of his head.

"Mine too!" Pelican agreed. He flapped his wings joyfully. "Oh Seagull, I'm so glad you decided to come with us!"

"Yes, well, as I said, don't make me rethink the idea. It's not too late to fly back, you know."

"You wouldn't do that," Pelican said, sounding almost smug. "You like me! Admit it, Seagull!"

Seagull turned his back on Pelican. "I wouldn't go that far. As I've said before…we simply seem to be tethered together. Perhaps destiny has a cruel sense of humor. Whatever it is, it seems to be out of my hands…"

Noodle smiled at the two friends, just as Sunmoonstars gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Noodle reached up and touched the shell necklace he had given her. "I think we're all in destiny's hands now," she said softly.

Plastic Beach dwindled away and disappeared over the horizon, leaving them adrift on the open sea.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**One more quick note-the Evangelist in this story is going to be based off the official design, even though the one in the Prologue obviously isn't. That version of the Evangelist was just a generic placeholder until the official design was released, since I started this fic before the contest had ended. I'm going to go back and edit that chapter to make the Evangelist's design consistent with the rest of the story. **


	14. Promises

**Promises**

Murdoc grit his teeth as the cyborg tightened his bonds, his arms pulled painfully behind his back. She looped the rope around his wrists a final time and tied it tightly before moving on to his legs. As she bound his legs together to keep him from running off, Murdoc spared a glance at 2D. He hadn't been tied up yet, and sat fearfully in the corner of the wretched shack the cyborg had found for them to sleep in, knees drawn up against his body, watching the two of them. A part of Murdoc hated the useless dullard for just sitting there and waiting his turn to be trussed up like some hunter's kill, but another part of him was glad the singer didn't make a move. There was no way he could defeat or even outrun the cyborg, and he would likely get hurt if he tried. It was a bit strange how the logical part of Murdoc's mind seemed to be winning out over the cloudy, muddled, angry part lately. Given how unpleasant their ordeal was turning out to be, Murdoc would have assumed it would be the other way around. Then again, anger didn't accomplish much in a situation like this, so perhaps it was simple survival instinct finally winning out in a man who had dedicated most of his adult life to steadily killing himself with vice.

The cyborg finally finished tying him up and slipped a gag between his teeth, then a blindfold over his eyes. Then he heard her footsteps clomp away from him, and a moment later, he heard 2D whimper softly. Murdoc didn't hear anything else but the sound of the rain on the windows of the shack while the cyborg tied 2D up. Finally, he heard her footsteps move toward the door. It squeaked open, letting in a chill wind and the sounds of the storm outside for only a moment, then slammed shut, leaving the two of them alone in the shack.

As the minutes stretched on, Murdoc tried to ignore the discomfort in his limbs from the bonds. He wondered how long the Cyborg would be gone for tonight. At least he didn't have to wonder where she was going. It had become part of their daily routine lately. Several days ago, the food she had brought with her had run out, and since they were now in the ass-end of nowhere, she hadn't been able to buy or steal any more from anywhere. So she'd taken to tying them up at night and going hunting, bringing them back rabbits mostly, but once the bloody hind leg of a deer had made an appearance. Thankfully, Murdoc and 2D, being the heavy smokers that they were, always carried an abundant supply of matches with them, so they had at least been able to make campfires to cook these goodies she brought back for them. Murdoc wasn't sure he could stomach eating raw meat…his evil, blood drinking, puppy-eating Satanist image be damned. He had accepted long ago that he was a poser, even if the rest of the world had been slow figuring that out.

He fought the urge to moan from the numbness in his arms, and wondered just how long they had been sitting in here waiting that mechanical bitch to return. With his luck, it had only been a couple of minutes and not the hours that it felt like, and he still had ages to wait before she came back and untied him. He wiggled his thumbs slightly, trying to keep the blood in his hands flowing as best he could. He thought he could safely say that this was the worst camping trip that he had ever been on. That it was also the only camping trip he had ever been on was irrelevant, he decided. He doubted he could have a more miserable time if he had been camping in Siberia in January with no jacket.

A slight scuffling sound from the corner of the shack broke him out of his self-pity. Had that been 2D? Or was there some giant black rat in here that was going to start crawling across his face? Murdoc listened intently, and soon heard it again, this time accompanied by a slight grunt.

It probably was 2D then. What was the dullard doing? If the cyborg had tied him as tight as she had tied Murdoc, there was no sense in struggling. Then again, 2D had never been the brightest light in the sky, and that was putting it rather kindly…

"Murdoc?" came 2D's hesitant voice.

If Murdoc hadn't been tied up, he would have jumped high enough to hit the ceiling. As it was, he could only make a tiny startled sound through his gag. How the hell had 2D gotten his own gag off?

That suddenly became the least of his concern as he heard 2D's footsteps come toward him. A second later, he felt the singer's hands undo his blindfold, and then it was gone. He looked up to see 2D's tall, lanky silhouette leaning over him. The young man reached down and pulled the gag from Murdoc's mouth.

"What the HELL?" Murdoc spluttered. "How the hell did you get loose, D?"

"I picked up a broken piece of rock the last time she let me go to the bathroom," 2D whispered as he untied the rope around Murdoc's wrists. "One side of it was really jagged, so I thought it might be able to cut my bonds, if I worked hard enough. I made sure I had it in my hand when she tied me up."

"She didn't notice?" Murdoc wondered, as his hands were finally freed. He pulled his arms in front of himself and began to rub his hands and wiggle the fingers to try and make the numbness go away.

"Uh uh," 2D replied, now working on the ropes that bound Murdoc's legs. "She wasn't very careful about tying me up. Not like she was with you. She just sat me down, tied my arms behind me around a post, and stuck a gag in my mouth. She even covered me up with a blanket or something. There!" 2D said, as he removed the rope from around Murdoc's ankles.

Murdoc sat up painfully. His feet were as numb as his hands. He wiggled them a bit and felt a tingling as the feeling began to return, but he suspected it would be a few minutes before he could walk. "Post? Blanket?" he wondered aloud.

"Over there," 2D whispered, gesturing toward the back of the shack. Murdoc turned and saw that the room was actually quite larger than he'd thought from the brief glimpse he'd gotten when he first entered. The "post" turned out to be a support post for one of several stalls that stretched back into the darkness, and the "blanket" was an empty burlap sack, taken from a stack of them that was against the wall. There were coils of rope next to the pile of sacks, and a few bits of leather and metal next to those. Horse tack maybe?

"We're in a stable," Murdoc realized. "Must have been a farm here once." Not anymore though, judging from the emptiness and mustiness of everything. The place had been long abandoned.

"I guess so," 2D agreed, reaching down a hand to help him up. "Can you walk?"

Murdoc stumbled to his feet, ignoring 2D's hand. "Of course, I can, Faceache!" he snapped. "I'm not some-" The rest of his sentence ended in a squawk as his body seemed to deny the existence of his legs and he pitched forward.

2D caught him before he could fall and helped steady him on his feet. Ignoring Murdoc's growl, he began helping the bass player toward the door. "Don't argue," he whispered. "We've got to get out of here before she comes back."

Accepting that the young man was right, Murdoc swallowed his pride and let 2D help him toward the door of the stable. Once 2D had opened it, Murdoc poked his head out. It was black as pitch outside, and raining like hell, but he thought he could make out a patch of woods about fifty feet away from them. He turned his head and looked in the other direction, but only spotted open country, possibly what was left of the crop fields that belonged to the farm that once stood here.

The bass player paused for a moment, wondering which way to go. The open area would be easier to travel in the dark, but it would also make it easier for the cyborg to see them. The brush would be harder to travel in the dark, but it would offer more hiding places. Of course, they also ran the risk of getting lost in it, but forests in Great Britain tended to not be very large, and besides, they were probably lost enough already. He began to head for the woods, the feeling having returned to his legs enough for him to walk under his own power.

He heard 2D make a quiet whimper, as if he didn't think much of Murdoc's choice of a destination, but he made no further protest, and Murdoc heard his footsteps in the wet grass following behind him.

Murdoc expected to have to go blundering blindly through the bushes, pushing foliage out of the way and probably making enough noise to wake the dead, so he was quite surprised to find a small, weed choked path leading off into the woods once he finally reached them. Thanking fate for small favors, he gestured for 2D to follow him and the two of them started down the path.

There was silence for a few minutes as the two of them blundered down the path in the rainy darkness, trying not to trip over rocks and tree roots, or step into giant puddles. Murdoc didn't know where the path was leading them, and he didn't care either. The important thing was to get as far away from the cyborg as possible. They could figure out where they were and how to get to civilization when the sun came up.

2D, of course, had to pick that exact moment to ask a stupid question. "Murdoc?" he asked. "Murdoc, where are we going?"

"Istanbul," Murdoc snapped at the singer in annoyance.

"Huh?" 2D sounded genuinely baffled by this.

Murdoc sighed. He should have figured sarcasm was wasted on someone with an empty space between his ears. "I don't know where we're going, Faceache," he forced himself to say as calmly as possible. If he lost his temper, he was liable to start shouting, and THAT was certainly going to alert everything within a ten mile radius. Including crazy robot-women. "I don't even know where we ARE. I just want to get as far away from that stable as possible before the Cyborg comes back."

"But then what'll we do?" 2D said, his voice soft and frightened.

"I don't know that either D," Murdoc admitted. "But we'll think of something. We may be in the middle of nowhere, but there's bound to be some sheep-shaggers or something around somewhere. We'll find someone and ask them for help."

"M'kay," 2D mumbled behind him. "Do you think we can get away from her?"

"I hope so," Murdoc muttered, pushing a wet branch out of the way. "You know, I gotta admit that thing with the rock was clever, D." He held the branch out of the way for 2D, rather than letting go of it and watching it snap back in the singer's face. "Especially coming from you."

2D seemed too nervous and preoccupied to appreciate the praise from the bass player, even as uncharacteristic as it was. "I don't think it would have worked if she hadn't been so careless about tying me up."

"Maybe…" Murdoc mused, skirting around a large puddle. "I wonder why she tied you up like that. There was plenty of rope left in the stable, so it's not like she ran out and had to improvise or something.

"I don't know," 2D said from behind him. "It was almost like she was being nice to me. Like she didn't want me to be uncomfortable while I waited. It was weird."

"Maybe she's sweet on you," Murdoc teased the singer. "Lucky you, eh? I always figured, out of the four of us, you'd be the one to get a Stalker From Hell."

"Yeah," 2D muttered, almost sadly. "Lucky me. All the people who like me are either dead or treat me like-"

A huge crack of lightning and rumble of thunder cut off the rest of what 2D was going to say. The woods around them were lit up almost as bright as day. And Murdoc stopped in his tracks, causing 2D to blunder into him from behind.

There, on the path in front of them, with a gun in one hand and what looked like a dead dog dangling from the other, was the Cyborg.

2D screamed.

Cursing himself for using the path for an escape route instead of traveling through the concealing underbrush, Murdoc sprang into action faster than he thought possible. Grabbing 2D by the shoulders, he pushed the singer off the right side of the path. "Split up!" he shouted over 2D's yelp. "I'll find you later!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Murdoc stooped down and picked up a rock from the ground. "Over here, you stupid metal bitch!" Murdoc shouted, throwing it at her. It missed her by several feet, but her eyes glinted in the darkness as they turned toward him.

"Yeah, that's right!" he snarled at her. "You stupid, phony robot bitch! Pretend Noodle! You're not Noodle, you're just an ugly, glorified can-opener! Fucking stupid bitch! I'm gonna kill you!" Murdoc roared this last part at her as he dove off the left side of the path.

Hoping his taunting worked, he crashed his way blindly through the underbrush, hoping he didn't run into any unexpected obstacles in the dark. _C'mon, c'mon, chase me you oversized tin can! _He figured he would have a better chance of escaping the cyborg's pursuit than 2D would, and if he did manage to lose her, he could go back and find 2D later. He only hoped he would be able to stay ahead of her. He was getting old and was quite out of shape, after all, but in his panicked mind, he still seemed less vulnerable than the terrified 2D. Besides, even if the cyborg did catch him, there was still the chance that his capture could buy 2D enough time to get away, and then the singer could go find help. Of course, that was a long shot, since 2D would be more likely to get even further lost and starve to death, or just sit there terrified until the cyborg found him, but at this point, any chance was better than-

Murdoc screamed as his foot slipped on some wet mud and he suddenly found himself tumbling down a steep slope. He reached out desperately, cutting his hands on long, tough blades of grass as he tried to stop his fall, but all of them slipped out of his grip. He screamed helplessly again, sure he was going to die, and his scream ended in a pained grunt as he slammed into a fallen tree trunk.

For a moment, Murdoc could only lie sprawled out beside the log that had stopped his fall, the wind completely knocked out of him. His head spun and his mind seemed to want to check out for a while, maybe a long while, but he seemed to regain control of it before he could completely black out and fought to stay conscious. He forced himself to stay awake, forced his body to try and move. He began to twist painfully to his feet, knowing he had to get moving again before the cyborg caught up with him.

Using the log for support, Murdoc got to his feet, relieved that nothing seemed to be broken. He looked back up the slope and was amazed at how close to the top he actually was. It felt like he had fallen much further. There was no sign of the Cyborg at the top though, so he figured he had better get moving and get down the rest of the slope before she caught up with him.

And then he heard 2D scream.

Murdoc froze in horror, mismatched eyes wide. The Cyborg hadn't fallen for his taunting. She hadn't chased after him at all. She'd gone after 2D. And she had found him.

Murdoc's surprise turned immediately to rage. That fucking IDIOT! He had probably been slow and loud and easy to find and catch. He had probably not even tried to get away. His terror had probably kept him rooted to the same spot, like a goddamn deer staring at an oncoming truck, and she had caught him with no effort at all. Murdoc's whole painful diversion had been for nothing. This whole ESCAPE had been for nothing!

"Bloody stupid idiot!" Murdoc snarled under his breath. "Fuck him!"

He heard 2D scream again, and paused, wondering what to do. If he went back there, the cyborg would catch him, and at best, she'd bring both of them back to the stable and tie them up better this time. At worst, she'd… But, if he didn't go back, then what? He had promised he would keep 2D safe. Was it such a meaningless promise that he would break it the first time the opportunity presented itself?

But what good was keeping a promise if it just resulted in him dying alongside 2D? Who would know? Who would care?

Besides, he could always do what he had been hoping 2D would do if Murdoc himself had been caught. Escape, go get help, and then come back and rescue 2D. Unless the Cyborg just decided to go ahead and kill 2D before he got back. But if she was going to kill him, she was going to kill him, and Murdoc couldn't stop her, regardless of whether he was there or not. He'd just get killed too. He was back where he'd started.

But if he broke the promise, a promise made hastily under the influence of guilt anyway, he would live, and perhaps 2D would live too. If not, at least, Murdoc would live. Was one person living not better than both of them dying? True, he would have to live with what he had done, but he had already broken so many promises in his life, hurt so many people, done so many shitty things, and he had been able to come to terms with them and move on. What was one sin added to the pile?

Even if he had a feeling that this sin would hurt more than most of the others, would be a sin it would take a lot of effort to ignore, would cause pain that would not be so easily vanquished. Like what happened to Noodle.

Like what he'd LET happen to Noodle.

Murdoc whimpered and felt his legs begin to give away underneath him. He grabbed at the log to try and keep himself on his feet. More misery…more self-loathing. More suffering, more guilt, more endless attempts to harden his heart and forget the pain. It was killing him, more than booze, cigarettes, and his entire vice-filled lifestyle put together. And he hurt regardless. It was all for nothing. He just kept adding more suffering onto himself with every selfish, cowardly act. If he kept on like this, his misery would never end.

He didn't want to die.

But he didn't want to live like this anymore either.

Which one was worse? Did he know? Did he even want to find out?

2D screamed again.

And Murdoc found himself moving. Moving UP the slope. Moving toward the sound of 2D's screams. And he hated himself for it, and he hated 2D for it, and he hated the cyborg for it, and he hated fate, or God, or whoever designed such a fucked up world where this was the preferable choice most of all, but he kept running, and strangely, he found himself, perhaps for the first time in a long time, feeling at peace with his decision.

As soon as he was at the top of the slope, Murdoc looked around until he spotted a slender, low-hanging tree branch. Running up to it, he seized it with both hands and pulled himself halfway onto it as if he were a gymnast doing on of those bar routines they had in the Olympics. He leaned hard against the branch, putting all his weight onto it, and was relieved when he heard the brittle snapping of wood. A second later, both Murdoc and the tree branch had fallen to the ground.

Murdoc quickly picked up his makeshift weapon and started running again, heading in the direction of 2D's shouting. He didn't think a broken tree branch would be much of a weapon against an armed robot, but he felt slightly more secure facing the Cyborg with as least _something _in his hands.

Murdoc finally reached the path again and darted across it, entering the underbrush on the right side of the path. He didn't see any signs of 2D, so he kept blundering blindly forward, hoping he would find the singer before the cyborg did anything awful to him.

Murdoc pushed through some tall bushes and found himself in the middle of a tiny clearing. 2D stood in the middle of it. Unharmed. Unharmed and…_alone_?

Murdoc opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but before he could say anything, 2D started screaming again.

"I'm sorry Murdoc!" the young man wailed. "She MADE me! She MADE me she MADE me she MADE me she MADE-!"

Too late, Murdoc realized he had fallen into a trap. He only had time to register a soft footstep behind him and then all there was was pain and blackness.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Murdoc woke up to the sound of sobbing. It intruded on the pain and the fogginess in his head, pushed it aside and poked at his awareness, forcing him to return to consciousness, forcing the world into focus once more. Slowly, painfully, he opened his eyes, feeling the pain in his head double as he did so. Where was he? What had happened? His head hurt like a bitch, so he must have had one hell of a hangover. Either that or someone had clocked him a good one. A woman, maybe?

_The cyborg! _Suddenly he remembered what had happened. She had had 2D and Murdoc had gone back to save him. She'd come up behind him and…hit him over the head with a fucking _club_, from what it felt like. He groaned softly and instantly regretted it. Even a tiny vocalization made pain shoot through his head like lightning.

"Murdoc?" came 2D's voice from somewhere behind him.

"Mm?" replied Murdoc. It was all he could manage.

Murdoc heard the sound of 2D moving closer. "Murdoc, are you all right?" 2D asked hesitantly.

Murdoc groaned in reply. He wasn't sure he could even remember how to form the words to speak, even if they didn't send splitting pain through his head.

2D was quiet for a long time, other than the sound of his sniffling as he must have tried to get his crying under control. Grateful for the silence, Murdoc lay still and let the pain in his head slowly subside.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he was finally able to speak. "Where are we, D?" he finally managed to ask.

"Back at the stable," 2D said quietly. "After she knocked you out, she picked me up and carried me back here, and tied me back up. I fought her, but her grip is like iron. I couldn't get her to let me go. I was so afraid she was going to just leave you there in the middle of the forest. But once she tied me back up, she went back and got you. Then she untied me, and since then, she's been standing guard outside the door." 2D sighed. "So much for our escape attempt. At least she didn't kill us. I don't think we're going to get any supper though."

"Damn," Murdoc muttered. "I was really looking forward to that dead dog, too. I'll bet it would have tasted just like how Mom used to make it."

He heard 2D chuckle quietly. "I'm glad you're okay, Murdoc," the singer said softly. "I was so afraid you weren't going to wake up. I was scared she'd really hurt you when she hit you. I was…I thought…I thought you were going to die." 2D's voice quavered slightly, as if he were trying not to start crying again. "I…I…I don't know what I would've done," the singer choked out. "First Noodle and then you. I don't know if I could have taken it."

_Why? _Murdoc wondered. _I'm nothing like Noodle. You should be glad to get rid of me. I'm such a piece of shit. _But he pushed such thoughts aside and instead said "I'm fine D. Don't worry about me, all right?"

2D sniffled softly. "I'm really, really sorry, Murdoc."

"It's not your fault, D," Murdoc said quietly.

"Yes it is!" 2D protested tearfully. "I ran as fast as I could, but she caught me anyway, and then she told me to scream. When I said no, she put the gun against the back of my head and told me again. I knew it was a trap, that she was just trying to get you to come back, but I was so _scared! _I knew I shouldn't have done what she asked me to, but I really thought she was going to kill me. I kept hoping you wouldn't come, but you did and then she hit you. I'm so sorry Murdoc…I wish I hadn't been such a damn stupid coward. I was just so scared…I don't want to die." He sniffled again.

_Yeah, I know the feeling, _Murdoc thought to himself, remembering his own struggle when he'd first heard 2D start screaming. "It's not your fault, 2D," he said again. "I might have done the same thing in your shoes." _Would he have? _After the decision he'd made back on that slope, things no longer seemed so clear. Would the struggle between cowardice and conscience continue in the future? Murdoc had a feeling it would, and that more decisions like that awaited him down the line. And he had a pretty good guess how they were going to turn out, too.

"Besides," Murdoc said to the singer. "Even if you hadn't screamed, I would have come looking for you anyway. I said I would find you later, when we split up, remember? She would have caught me even if you'd been as silent as the grave. It wasn't your fault."

2D was silent for a long time. Finally, he asked a hesitant question. "Why, Murdoc?"

"Why what?" Murdoc asked, although he thought he knew.

"Why did you come back? Why didn't you just leave me?" 2D asked.

"I promised you I wouldn't let her hurt you, remember?" Murdoc cut in.

"Since when do you give a damn about promises?" the singer wondered.

_Since I realized…since I realized what not keeping them does to me, _Murdoc's mind answered automatically. _And what it feels like…what it does to other people…what all the shit I do does to other people…and how it always comes back around and does the same thing to me. _But all that was too convoluted for someone with a splitting headache like Murdoc's to try and explain.

"Since Noodle," was all Murdoc said instead, hoping 2D would understand. He was beginning to grow exhausted with the efforts of trying to soothe the guilt-stricken young man.

Thankfully, 2D seemed to understand. Both points, actually, since Murdoc heard him get up, and go rummage around in a corner of the stable. A moment later, he returned and Murdoc felt him lay a blanket over him. No, not a blanket. One of those burlap sacks, most likely.

Murdoc tried to protest, since he hated being doted over. It made him feel like a weakling, or like the other person was being too sappy or…or…or….

"Shhhh," 2D said softly to him. "Just go to sleep, Murdoc. "You can be tough again in the morning, okay?"

That suddenly didn't sound so bad to Murdoc. He wanted to sleep very badly. "You promise?" he muttered to the singer.

"I promise," 2D said to him. "Goodnight, Murdoc."

Murdoc thought he might have said goodnight back, but he was no longer sure anymore. Sleep had begun to blur the edges between what was reality and what wasn't, and Murdoc was more than happy to let it. Somewhere in the swirling darkness between sleep and wakefulness, however, he was certain he did hear a single voice whispering something to him.

"Thank you, Murdoc," it said.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**So, who wants to make maple syrup with all this sap? Anyone? :P**


	15. Decisions

Decisions

**I swear, one of these days I'm going to have time again to actually get some proper work done on this story.**

Russel sighed as the submarine plowed briskly through the glittering ocean waves. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining in a cloudless sky, the sea calm and blue, the weather windless and mild. It has been so ever since he had left South America. And after several days of this, he was bored out of his mind.

"Wish I'd thought to bring some magazines or something," he said regretfully, pausing to check the coordinates on the sub's navigation system for about the hundredth time that hour. Yup. Still set for Point Nemo. Imagine that.

He sighed again and looked back up and out the windshield. And immediately felt the desire to check the coordinates again. There was nothing to look at out in the middle of the ocean. Just endless water and an unbroken horizon. Cruising on the surface was certainly a way to conserve the sub's fuel, but it didn't provide much of a view. Not that traveling underwater would be much better. They were far enough out that there wouldn't be any sea creatures or interesting topography to look at down there anyway. Seriously, fuck Murdoc sideways for choosing the absolute farthest point from any landmass for his shitty little island getaway.

Still, he supposed that, boring as it was, it was certainly better than his last trip there. Even as a giant, who could cover far more distance than a normal human, the swim had been a long and exhausting one. Compared to that, being stuck in a sub with nothing more than his thoughts was paradise.

Except that he _wasn't _just alone with his thoughts. Del still wouldn't speak to him, wouldn't even acknowledge him, but Russel could feel him there, in the back of his mind. And could occasionally feel bits and pieces of what Del was feeling. At first it was only hurt feelings and anger, but as time went on, he sometimes caught snippets of other feelings. Sadness. Regret. And sometimes even worry. Russel didn't know why Del was feeling the things he was, and he certainly couldn't ask him, since every single attempt to communicate with the ghost was met with stony silence.

"You're acting like a girl, you know," Russel grumped. He felt just the slightest tough of indignation from the passenger in his head, and this only fueled his annoyance with the situation. "Yeah, I don't care if you heard that," he told the sulking ghost. "It's true. I say one thing that pisses you off, and now you won't talk to me or try and work it out. You're just sulking in your 'room' like a little girl. I don't know what the hell you want from me, you damn baby."

He immediately regretted that last part, since he hated being nasty to any of his friends, even when they were acting like assholes. He hated fighting, and he hated being mad too. He had always been a mellow guy, and conflict was something he tended to avoid if at all possible. Especially since he had so few people in his life who really mattered to him nowadays…

"I'm sorry, Del," he said softly. "You're not a big baby. I'm just…just…" he paused, trying to think of how to explain his mood. Then remembered that it likely didn't matter how he phrased things, since Del could hear his thoughts anyway. "I'm just bored…and worried about Noodle…and Murdoc and 2D, not that the two of them deserve it…and I feel really lousy about hurting your feelings before…and I wish you'd talk to me again. I wish you'd at least let me explain." It would be nice to have Del at least try to understand his point of view, even if he didn't agree with it. Russel hated feeling like the sole bad guy in a situation that was only partly his fault.

It wasn't that he didn't want Del there. He had missed his best friend terribly during the years after the Reaper had taken Del, and it was wonderful to have him around again. And Del's presence seemed to keep the demon voices away too. But Del's loss all those years ago had nearly destroyed his mind, and worse, had made him so vulnerable to the demonic voices he had only recently started being able to stand against on his own. Russel knew he would not be able to survive going through all that if he lost Del again. _When _he lost Del again, since he knew the Reaper would come looking for him eventually. Del's leaving the afterlife was certainly against the laws of…well, everything, and Russel was sure that his absence would not go unnoticed long. It was this that had made him so adverse to the idea of Del possessing him again, and he wished he could have made Del understand that, if only so the ghost would know that there had been no malice behind his words and feelings back on that Chilean beach.

All at once, he felt a sharp stab of emotion from Del. Emotion far different from the ones he had been sending off for most of the trip. Guilt. Sorrow. Grief. And somewhere, behind it all, a fierce, helpless anger.

Russel put a hand to his forehead in surprise, startled at the sudden change in Del's mood. He supposed that, if Del hadn't understood before, he did now. And not for the better, either.

"Oh man, I'm sorry, Del," Russel said softly, his hand still on his forehead. "I wasn't trying to make you feel worse. I was just trying to get you to not hate me. I'm just…I'm just no good at this shit. I'm sorry man, I really am."

There was no response from Del, other than the bundle of emotions intensifying even more, and the grief and anger bleeding into one another until they formed a red-hot mass of pain. But strangely enough, despite the fact that he'd been responsible for this sudden emotional change, Russel felt that this anger, unlike the other angry feelings he'd felt earlier, was not directed at him.

He didn't get much of a chance to speculate on it further, however, since he could already feel the emotions fading from his head as Del took refuge on the back of his mind once more. Perhaps to nurse his emotional wounds, or perhaps to simply avoid having Russel ask him about them, but for whatever reason, his presence was soon reduce once again to a slight existence in the distance reaches of Russel's consciousness.

Russel sighed in defeat, lowering his face into his hands. He'd really managed to royally fuck up the situation, just when he'd thought it couldn't be fucked up any further. So much for trying to "talk it through." Of course, he had to remind himself that not all of that was his fault either, since most of what he did to offend Del came from his thoughts. And it wasn't like he could simply put those on hold. A man couldn't really control his thoughts. In a way, the fact that he kept upsetting Del was partly Del's fault too, since his old friend was severely invading his privacy by-

Russel caught himself and decided to quit while he was ahead. He couldn't fix the situation as it was, but he could at least avoid making Del feel even worse. As bad as having his old friend angry at him had been, seeing the normally jovial Del in such pain was even worse.

Doing his best to try and put the issue from his mind for now, Russel finally raised his face from his hands and looked back out the windshield at the open sea.

And froze.

There was a ship on the horizon.

Russel's hand instantly darted to the control panel, ready to submerse the sub in case of trouble, but he remained above the surface for now, wanting to get a better look at the ship. He highly doubted it was anything worth paying attention to, probably just some random merchant ship, but it was best to be sure. They were awfully far out at sea for merchant ships, after all. As the sub took him closer to the ship, Russel's misgivings deepened. It appeared to be made out of wood, which ruled out merchant ships, cruise ships, military ships, and just about any other type of modern ship he could think of. And now that he was closer, he could see that it had white sails, unfurled to catch what little wind there was, supported by tall wooden masts and complicated rigging, reminding him very much of the ship that he had attacked and smashed during the battle for Plastic Beach.

Was it pirates? It certainly wasn't the same ship (that one was definitely at the bottom of the ocean right now), but it could be a different set of pirates. Or maybe another ship from the same pirate "fleet." If pirates had fleets, anyway. Russel didn't know a thing about them. Including why they are so far out in the middle of nowhere. It's not like there were tons of other ships out here to plunder.

"Just me," Russel muttered to himself, deciding that that settled it. He quickly submerged the sub and brought up the periscope, intending to wait until the ship was well out of sight before surfacing again.

_Russel?_

"Del?" After so long without a single word from his friend, Del's voice in the back of his mind was quite a surprise.

_I think we should follow that ship, Russel, _came Del's reply. _I think it's important._

"I…wha…you do?" Russel was baffled. How could some random pirate ship be important? "Why Del? That's not Noodle's boat. It's way too big for that."

_I know it's not hers, but it makes me think of her when I look at it,_ said Del. _It reminds me of something. Something I showed you when you were looking for Noodle with the Ouija board, remember?_

"No, I…actually, I don't," Russel said, beginning to worry he might piss Del off again. But he had to be honest, if this was important. "I remember you showing me Noodle on a boat, but nothing about pirates. But, I could be forgetting some things. Do you remember anything else about this ship?" 

_No, _Del admitted. _I don't really remember much about what I showed you either. Hell, I don't remember much about the afterlife anymore. It all started to fade after I possessed you. But seeing this ship…it really makes me think of Noodle and the things I showed you._

Russel looked out at the pirate ship, now a speck on the horizon, speculatively. "Do you suppose they kidnapped her, maybe?" Russel wondered. "I remember she did look like she was in danger in that vision." But he'd thought the danger had come from that black monster on the beach behind her. And she'd certainly killed that monster by now. It had been getting ready to attack her when he'd seen her, and so that meant that the battle was long over by now. Long over and won by Noodle, of course. His mind refused to let him consider any other possibility.

But even if the monster had been vanquished, that didn't mean it was the only danger Noodle faced. Perhaps the pirates had captured her. Until now, Russel had refused to believe that she had gotten off the island yet, since that would make her extremely difficult to find out in the huge expanse of ocean. Plastic Beach, as small and out of the way as it was, at least stayed put. So he had held onto the hope that Noodle was still on it, because if she wasn't, his chances of finding her would drop to almost zero. But perhaps she had gotten off the island, and the pirates had spotted and captured her. If that was the case, then he at least stood a chance of still rescuing her.

If not though, he would be going off on a wild goose chase, leaving Noodle alone and stranded on the island. Or stranded out at sea on some boat made of garbage that might fall apart when it ran into a storm.

If he made the wrong choice, it would be disastrous.

Russel wished desperately that he had some way of knowing what to do.

_You mean like a supernatural guide who's attuned to the ether and can give you cryptic hints?_ And for the first time in a long while, Russel felt his old friend grinning at him.

He couldn't help but grin back. "Okay Del, you've convinced me. We follow the ship." Besides, the last time he had been out at sea and followed a ship, it had led him to Noodle. Perhaps this one would as well. He would just have to trust his friend. "You'd better hope though, that they don't catch me and make me walk the plank, or you'll be homeless."

_I'm not worried, _Del replied. _Fat floats._

"Always a smartass," Russel said, smiling. "I was starting to miss that."

The sub picked up speed and was soon flowing in the ship's wake


	16. The Truth Comes Out

**The Truth Comes Out**

Noodle finished the last bite of her supper (dried seagull meat, just like what she'd had for lunch. And breakfast. And supper last night), and quickly washed it down with the rest of her bottle of jellyfish juice. The evening meal finished, she got up and went over to the side of the boat, where she dipped her hands in the water to wash them, then scooped some up and splashed it on her face. The cool water felt quite pleasant on her skin (the days out on the open sea got quite hot, even if it was now beginning to cool down as evening approached), but she couldn't help but wish it was freshwater rather than ocean water. The jellyfish juice served its purpose, which was keeping her alive, but it couldn't replace real fresh water. After all this time drinking the stuff, Noodle was beginning to think she was never going to get the smoky, vaguely chickeny taste out of her mouth.

Straightening back up, she turned back to where her friends were sitting, in the shadow of the car, finishing their own suppers. None of them looked like they were finding the repetitive meals any more appetizing as she was, and Pelican seemed to be the most dismayed.

"This stuff sure is hard to swallow," he said, scooping up a piece of the dried fish and tipping his head back. He swallowed convulsively, wincing slightly as he did. "It scratches my throat going down," he complained. "It's not as good as raw fish, that's for sure!"

"Pelican, I'm going to tell you what I tell you at every meal," Noodle said with a touch of annoyance. "We couldn't bring raw fish on the trip with us. We've been out at sea for days, and they would be all rotten by now."

"I don't mind!" Pelican protested.

"Yeah, well the rest of us might," Noodle told him, wrinkling up her nose at the thought of having to share a small space with buckets of rancid fish. "So you have to eat what we've got, understand?"

"I guess so," said the seabird glumly.

"At least until tomorrow at breakfast," said Seagull disinterestedly, pecking at the last piece of dried fish in front of him. "When we'll get to hear yet another repeat of this entire conversation. I'm looking forward to it, of course."

"No you're not, Seagull," Pelican said.

The gull gave a heavy sigh. "Sarcasm is wasted on you," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Of course, I figured that out long ago, so why I still persist…" Rolling his eyes, he changed the subject. "Anyway, if you want your food to go down easier, why don't you do what Sunmoonstars is doing and dip it in the jellyfish juice before you eat it?"

Sunmoonstars, in the process of picking up his last piece of dried fish, paused, looked at Pelican, and, in an apparent attempt to be helpful, demonstrated the technique for Pelican by dipping the piece of fish in his Cool Whip container of jellyfish juice, swishing it around several times to soften it up, and then lifting it to his snout and slurping it down.

"Oh, that looks like a good idea!" Pelican said happily, picking up a piece of his supper. Ignoring his own dish of juice, he waddled over to Sunmoonstars's dish and threw the piece of fish into it with a loud _PLOP!_

"I meant use your own, you muppet," Seagull said in exasperation, but it was much too late.

Pelican made as if to dip his beak into the container to retrieve the fish, but Sunmoonstars snatched his juice ration away from the bird. Sticking his snout into the container, he quickly started slurping the rest of the juice down.

"Hey, my fish is still in there!" Pelican protested. "You can't eat other people's rations! It's not fair!"

This was evidently too much for Sunmoonstars. The demon paused in mid-slurp, regarding the pelican with his wide, blank eyes. Then, quick as a flash, he slurped up the rest of the juice in the bowl. Before anyone could react, he pulled his snout from the bowl and blasted Pelican with a shower of jellyfish juice.

It was a direct hit. Pelican squawked as the now soggy piece of fish hit him between the eyes. Dripping Jellyfish juice everywhere, he beat his wings frantically and had soon flown up on top of the mast.

"Sunmoonstars!" Noodle shouted, horrified at such a careless waste of supplies. "That juice has to last us for weeks! You can't just spit it out like that!"

Sunmoonstars turned to look at her, seemed to consider for a moment, then turned his head pointedly away from her and stared out at the horizon.

"All right, fine! You don't get any more juice until tomorrow at breakfast!" snapped Noodle. "And I want you to remember this when you get thirsty tonight!"

Sunmoonstars continued staring out at the horizon, giving no indication that he'd heard her. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Noodle ignored him right back and started gathering up the supper dishes.

"I must say, a meal with the three of you is far noisier than any meal I've eaten with my kin," Seagull said, letting Noodle take his empty juice bowl away. "Although I suppose it'd be far quieter if we removed Pelican from the table."

"Don't blame me, Seagull!" Pelican protested from atop the mast. "It was your idea to dip the fish in Mister Boogieman's bowl!"

The seagull sighed, but apparently decided it was useless to correct the pelican. Again. "Promise me that if our food runs out and we have to resort to cannibalism, he'll be the first to go," he said to Noodle.

Despite her annoyance, Noodle couldn't help smirking slightly. "Don't tempt me," she said, chuckling as she placed the dishes back in the trunk of the car. "Anyway, none of us is the same species, so technically, it's not cannibalism, even if we do end up having to eat each other." She slammed the trunk closed and turned back to Seagull. "The only one of us who could potentially be a cannibal is you, if you end up having to eat the dried seagull meat we brought. Don't worry though," she hastily amended. "We've still got plenty of dried fish for you to eat, and I'll make sure you always get dibs on it, for as long as it lasts.

"Much obliged," Seagull said mildly, before flapping his wings and making a short flight to land on top of the car, where he began preening himself.

"Anyway, we'll all probably die of scurvy before that happens," Noodle muttered to herself, as she headed over to check the sail. She actually had tried to supply some vitamins to their diet back when they'd made the jellyfish juice, by picking up as many discarded fruit peels and rinds as she could find among the garbage and then boiling them along with the juice, but she honestly doubted it helped much. They would just have to hope that their health held out long enough for them to get to land.

Instinctively, Noodle's hand darted to the cowry shell around her neck. She'd found herself regarding it as a totem more and more as their voyage continued, doing her best to trust in its "powers" whenever she worried about their chances of survival. She knew that it didn't actually work, but it did make her feel better sometimes, and that was enough.

Noodle made a few final adjustments to the sail and turned back to her friends. "The wind seems to have died down a bit," she told them as she walked back over to the car. "There's still enough to keep the boat moving in the right direction though, so I think we should be okay for tonight." The "right direction" in this case was northeast. The little boat had no compass or other navigation equipment, but thankfully, there was no need for precision. The South American coastline was a very large target, after all. As long as they kept heading east, and north (directions they could pick out via the sun and stars), they would hit it eventually.

Stepping carefully around the drying puddle of jellyfish juice, Noodle rejoined the others beside the car and sat down next to Sunmoonstars. He was still turned away from her, looking out at the sea, so she gave him a playful punch on the arm. He turned and looked at her a bit indignantly, but the affect was ruined by the fact that he still had jellyfish juice dripping from his snout.

"I think you need to wash your face," Noodle giggled.

He gave her a look she could have sworn was exactly the same as the one he'd given Pelican earlier. Noodle merely mugged at him. Despite their earlier tiff, she wasn't really all that angry with him. All four of them had been bickering a bit in the last few days, which could only be expected on such a long voyage. And truthfully, none of them were fighting all that much more often than they had before they left Plastic Beach. Noodle supposed she should count her blessings that the four of them hadn't murdered each other yet. She could put up with some minor quarreling.

Sunmoonstars wiped the jellyfish juice from his snout with his hand, and then, before Noodle could react, drew a mustache on her face with one juice covered finger.

"Hey!" the now mustachioed girl protested, trying to dodge out of the way. "I just washed my face!"

Sunmoonstars made weeping motions with his hands, as though sympathizing with a terrible plight.

"Hey, cut it out!" Noodle said. "I don't have to go wash my face again, you know. I can always do this!" She quickly seized the nearest edge of the demon's cape and wiped off her face with it.

Sunmoonstars quickly tried to pull his cape out of her hands, and Noodle, taking advantage of his distraction, released the cape and seized his nose instead.

"Gotcha!" she said smugly, as the startled creature froze. "I tell you, it's all just too easy…" She batted her eyelashes at him, as she usually did when she got the best f him.

"Yes, this is all very entertaining," said Seagull flatly. "I do hope you'll keep it suitable for all ages, however."

Noodle released Sunmoonstars's nose as if it had suddenly become red hot. It had not, however. All the heat was coming from her face. "Oh for crying out loud…" she muttered, turning her head away from the others to hide her blush.

She heard a strong flap from the mast and turned her head just in time to see Pelican glide down and land on top of the car beside Seagull. He seemed to have dried off, although his feathers were still a little bedraggled. "So, what are we going to do tonight, Miss Noodle," he asked. "Play some more games?"

"I don't know, Pelican," said Noodle, grateful for the change of subject. She had packed a few toys and games that she'd scavenged from Plastic Beach, but they had all been played with several times by now, and she wasn't exactly aching to try them again. Besides, she was still recovering from the excitement of this afternoon's epic Tic-Tac-Toe competition (Seagull had clobbered them all). "Maybe we should pace ourselves. If we play the games to often, we'll get bored of them."

"We could play Twenty Questions!" Pelican suggested.

The same game they'd spent most of last evening playing. "I, uh, think I'm running out of things for you guys to guess," Noodle said.

"Well, we've gotta play something!" Pelican protested. "It's too early for me to go to sleep and I'm bored!" He paused, thinking for a moment, then said: "I know! We can all tell each other the story of how we each ended up on Plastic Beach!"

"That won't fill much time, Pelican," Seagull told him. "You and I were born there. We don't have stories to tell. And Sunmoonstars can't speak."

"Miss Noodle can though," Pelican replied. "How did you end up on Plastic Beach, Miss Noodle?" he asked her.

Noodle squirmed uncomfortably. "Oh…uh…it's not a very interesting story."

"It can't be any less interesting than sitting here doing nothing," Seagull pointed out.

"True," Noodle admitted, beginning to feel trapped. She really didn't feel like getting into the circumstances that led to her arrival on Plastic Beach. Too many old ghosts could be brought up, and she didn't want to have to deal with them right now. "But it's not…it's just that…well…"

"Did you get kidnapped by Mr. Boogieman and brought here?" Pelican asked her cheerfully.

Noodle couldn't help but laugh. "No, of course not!" she told Pelican. "Sunmoonstars and I didn't meet until the battle after I arrived. He didn't kidnap me! Why would you think that?"

"Oh…well, I heard that Mr. Boogieman kidnapped the guy who plays the keyboard for the band," Pelican said sheepishly. "And since you're in the band too, I thought maybe he kidnapped you too."

"No, I came by-" Noodle's world suddenly froze as Pelican's final sentence sank in. "Wait, _what?"_

"I said I heard that-" Pelican's sentence was cut off with a squawk as Sunmoonstars suddenly took a swipe at him.

"No, stop it!" Noodle shouted at him. The demon paused in the middle of taking a second swipe at the seabird to look at her apprehensively. "Let him answer," she told Sunmoonstars, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

"Uh…the rumor going 'round the island was that Mister Boogieman kidnapped the guy who plays the keyboards," Pelican said, his eyes showing a touch of apprehension at the look that was gradually appearing on Noodle's face.

"You mean 2D?" she heard herself say.

"Yes, that's it!" said Pelican, nodding his head vigorously. "Mister Boogieman kidnapped Mister 2D for Mister Murdoc! That's what I heard!"

"B-b-b-but w-why?" Noodle managed to get out, her mind a swirl of confusion. Sunmoonstars had kidnapped 2D? _Murdoc _had kidnapped 2D? "Why did they kidnap 2D?" she asked the seabird.

"To be in the band again," Pelican said, as if pointing out the obvious.

"But…but 2D is already _in _the band!" Noodle protested. "Why would he need to be kidnapped?"

"I don't know!" said the pelican in confusion. "I'm not Mister Murdoc! Why are you yelling at me?"

Noodle realized she had let her voice get too loud when she saw the look of fear in the bird's beady little eyes. Pelican had retreated to the other end of the car's roof, and Noodle didn't think it was because of Sunmoonstars's attacks but rather, because of _her._

"I'm sorry," she said hastily. "I'm not mad at you, Pelican. I just don't understand." She turned to look at Sunmoonstars and saw that he was not meeting her eyes.

Her stomach began to churn. Did he really do what Pelican had said? Did he kidnap 2D and bring him to that awful place against his will? Her mind went back to the first time she had seen 2D on the island. Tired. Thin. Pale. And yet, despite it all, a look of absolute joy on his face at seeing her again. And not just joy, no. There was also a look of relief, of solace, in those dark eyes of his. Almost as if Noodle was the first good thing he had seen in ages, the first reason he'd had to smile in a long time.

What had happened to him? What had Murdoc done? What had _Sunmoonstars _done?

She needed answers. Desperate, she turned to the only person on the raft who might be able to supply them to her coherently.

"Seagull?" she asked the bird, who had begun a rather intense study of the various scratches and paint chips on the roof of the car. "Did you hear the rumors too?"

Seagull lowered his neck a bit, and a look of apprehension entered his eyes, the first real emotion Noodle had seen in them since she'd met him. He looked like someone who had to deliver bad news. Which was, she supposed, exactly what he was.

He confirmed her suspicions when he finally spoke. "Yes, I heard them as well," he said with a heavy sigh. "They were all over the island. Everyone had heard some version of them. Rumors travel quickly on such a small island, you understand."

"But…but…" The rumors couldn't be true. They _couldn't. _If they were, that meant that she'd been blaming…no, _hating _2D for something that wasn't his fault. Hating him while she cavorted around with his kidnapper. She looked over at Sunmoonstars again and saw that he had backed away from her. No. It _couldn't _be true.

"Seagull…Seagull…." She was suddenly finding it hard to catch her breath. "Seagull…just what were the rumors exactly? Can you tell me everything you heard? I don't understand why S…why Murdoc would do it." Not that she would be surprised that Murdoc would do something rotten. But to think he would stoop so low as to harm his bandmates. "I don't understand what's going on."

"And I don't know that telling you would clear much up," Seagull told her with surprising gentleness. "They are rumors after all. It doesn't mean they are true, you know."

"Please tell me anyway," she managed to get out.

Movement off to her left caught her eye. She turned her head slightly and saw that Sunmoonstars was shaking his head frantically at Seagull.

He might as well have handed her a signed confession. Noodle's confusion and pain suddenly exploded into a spark of anger.

"You shut up!" she shouted at him. He stumbled backward at her tone, and she could see that he was actually shaking slightly. It didn't do much to prove his innocence. "Just shut up," she snarled at him, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "Let Seagull talk."

"Noodle, I'm not really sure…" Seagull began.

"Tell me!" she screamed at him. "Just fucking tell me! I want to know!"

The bird regarded her with wide, startled eyes, an expression that, until now, Noodle wouldn't have thought he was even capable of making. But the murderous look on her face must have convinced him to continue. Turning his head away from her to face the darkening sky in the east, he spoke.

"As I told you, the rumors were that Murdoc was trying to reassemble the band. He thought you were dead, so he built that robot to replace you, and I guess he never bothered to look for your drummer, but he did manage to find your lead singer, and had him brought here to Plastic Beach by the Boogieman. As to why he didn't come willingly, I can't say. Perhaps Murdoc asked him and he said no.

_Or Murdoc didn't even bother asking him…why risk giving him the chance to say no, right? _"But why would Sunmoonstars help Murdoc?" Noodle asked quietly. "He hates Murdoc. He was trying to kill him when I arrived."

"Yes, the rumor was that the Boogieman was after Murdoc, and some people even claimed to have seen him around the island prior to the battle," Seagull told her gently. "As if he were hunting Murdoc. It was said that Murdoc made a deal with him in exchange for his soul, but when it came time for the Boogieman to collect, Murdoc refused to pay him. Which is usually how these sorts of deal go, if I'm not mistaken."

"What kind of deal?" Noodle asked. She didn't think Murdoc would consider having 2D kidnapped to be worth the price of his soul. There had to be more to it.

"Oh, musical success, I believe," Seagull replied. "The Boogieman was supposed to have kept your band doing well in the charts for the duration of the deal."

"_What?" _Noodle practically shouted. "Sunmoonstars is what made us popular?" The hit songs…the popular albums…the sold out shows…all of it was _his _doing? Did this mean that…that they weren't as good of a band as she'd thought? That they were actually nothing more than a glorified garage band with a demon pulling the strings behind the scenes? That Noodle could have made just as much impression standing out there playing a rubber band guitar? No…no, she refused to believe that something she'd put so much of her heart and soul in was just a lie.

"It can't be true," she whispered, tears threatening once again.

"Maybe it isn't," Seagull said softly. "As I said, rumors are not always true. If you want to know for sure whether Sunmoonstars did all that, why don't you ask him yourself?"

Noodle didn't think she really needed to, given his earlier behavior. Still, she supposed she at least owed him the benefit of the doubt. She turned toward him and was not surprised to see that he was no longer in her line of sight.

Knowing he had little place to hide on such a small raft, Noodle walked around the car and found him standing on the other side. He backed further away when he saw her coming toward him. His entire demeanor reminded Noodle of a trapped animal.

"Is it true?" she asked him. Her voice cracked on the last word, and she hated herself for it. She was not going to cry again.

Sunmoonstars stood staring at her silently for what felt like a long time. Finally, he dropped his eyes from hers and nodded slowly.

"All of it?" she managed to whisper. Het throat was closing up fast. No. No tears.

He nodded again. He wouldn't look at her.

"You kidnapped 2D?"

He nodded.

"You were trying to take Murdoc to Hell?"

He nodded.

"You…you made our band popular?"

She was beginning to have trouble seeing him, but she could tell by the movement of his head that he nodded once more.

"I'm not a good guitarist?" In all her suffering over the past few weeks, hell, over the past few _years_, Noodle never thought she would have _that_ taken from her. She'd lost so much, found out so many unpleasant truths, but…but…she always thought she would still have her talents. Her success. Something she could look back on and be proud of. But now…

Now she knew that all that was a lie too.

She felt a hand gently touch her arm.

"Don't touch me," she snarled at Sunmoonstars.

He froze, looking like some animal staring at a set of oncoming headlights. His hand did not move.

"I SAID, DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" she screamed at him, seizing his wrist. It felt slender and delicate and she tightened her grip savagely, unable to help herself. He hissed in pain and the sound ignited some primal satisfaction deep within herself, something that roared to the surface and blotted out the pain she was feeling. With a snarl, she pulled him toward her and then slammed him hard against the side of the car.

He stared back at her, seemingly stunned, and that blasted poker face of his suddenly seemed to mock her, just as it had that night she'd found him on the beach. He didn't care what he'd done. She was suddenly sure of it.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed at him, slamming him against the car again. In the background, she could hear the two birds squawking, or perhaps shouting at her, but it was all meaningless background noise to her ears. All her focus was taken up by thing in front of her.

"You don't fucking care!" she screamed in his face. "You don't care about any of it, do you? You could have KILLED 2D! You could have KILLED Russel! You could have killed-" No. Murdoc didn't matter. "You could have killed ME!" she roared instead, slamming him against the car again. "And you don't give a SHIT! You FUCKER!" She slammed him hard enough against the car that his head hit the window and left a faint spiderweb of cracks behind.

The last blow seemed to snaphim out of his shock. He gave a snarling hiss and twisted beneath her, and she was suddenly fighting to restrain him. His free hand shot up toward her, wicked yellow claws aiming straight for her face.

With a snarl of her own, seized his other wrist with her free hand and slammed both of his arms against the car. The two of them were suddenly nose to nose. Which actually left quite a bit of space between them, given that Sunmoonstars's nose was almost a foot long.

"You want to have this out right now?" she snarled at him. "Is that it? You want to fucking have it out now?" She brought up her elbow and cracked him hard underneath his snout, where his chin would be if he had one. His head smacked against the window again. The spiderweb of cracks increased in diameter. "Fine by me, you goddamn piece of shit! My friends almost died because of you! I might never see them again because of you! My band's a joke, and it's because of YOU! You've taken EVERYTHING from me! I HATE you!"

Quick as a flash, she twisted aside and flung him away from her by his wrists. He went flying across the deck and landed flat on his face a few feet from the side of the boat. Pathetic. He may have been larger than her, and he was probably stronger than her, but she would have bet anything that she was more skilled than he was. She was a super soldier. And that was something that he COULDN'T take away from her. She lunged at him.

Before she could land the next blow, a huge flapping brown shape suddenly appeared between them.

"Stop it!" Pelican wailed, trying to keep himself between Noodle and Sunmoonstars. "Stop fighting! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He was practically crying.

"Yes, I'm inclined to agree with him for once," came Seagull's voice beside her. She felt his feet take hold of the back of her shirt collar and pull. He wasn't strong enough to actually pull her back, but she took the hint and stepped back anyway. "I know I don't have any stake in this particular argument, but I'm not certain I can just stand here and watch you kill him either."

"I wasn't going to…" she began instinctively. Her voice died in her throat when she got a good look at Sunmoonstars.

He lay curled in a fetal position, his back to her. One hand was clutching the back of his head, and she could see dark blood oozing between his fingers. He was visibly shaking. Just like he'd done that first night when she'd tried to…

No. _No_. She wasn't going to let herself feel guilty. She refused to consider it. This was HIS fault. All of it. And she wasn't going to feel bad about it. She wasn't going to let herself feel sorry for him this time either.

She buried the feelings safely beneath a heaping serving of contempt. "I'm not going to kill him," she said to Seagull, but it was really Sunmoonstars she was talking to. "I'm not going to kill him, but the only reason I'm not is because I'm not like him. He can stay on the boat with us until we reach South America, but he is to stay away from me and remain on the other side of the boat from wherever I am at all times. And when we get to land, he is to get out of my sight immediately. Is that clear? I don't _ever _want to see him again. Is that understood?"

"I think you should go and calm your temper for a while," was all the gull told her in reply. "We can discuss the situation once you're thinking a bit more clearly."

"Shut up!" she snapped at him, suddenly tired of all three of them. "I'm not going to change my mind about this and you know it! Once we get to land, he goes! That's final! Don't argue with me!"

The seagull merely perched on top of the car, looking at her with a maddeningly calm expression. Pelican, his head hidden under his wing, began to cry softly. Sunmoonstars still hadn't moved. The damn baby.

With a snarl, Noodle seized the makeshift necklace and tore it from her neck. "And you can have this ugly thing back, too!" she shouted at the demon, throwing it at him. It hit his back so hard it ricocheted back toward her and landed somewhere off to her left. She didn't care. Turning her back on all of them, she went inside the car and slammed the door behind her.

She spent a long time afterward fighting against her tears. It was a battle she managed to win in the end, but, like most of the victories she'd had in her life, it was beginning to seem rather hollow.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

**Uh…Noodle…you…you want some chocolate? Maybe? I'll just leave it over here…on the other side of the street…in case you change your mind. Okaybye!**

***runs for her life***


	17. It Isn't Fair

**It Isn't Fair**

The Evangelist moved slowly through the water, hunting the demon by scent. He was in his intangible form, nothing more than a glowing light, but he could still smell the creature's stink. It was diluted by the immense volume of the water, but the Evangelist thought he would still be able to track the demon if he concentrated hard enough, and had enough patience.

He was actually quite embarrassed that he had returned to his slumber in the murky depths before making sure the monster had been vanquished. His role in the grand scheme of things was so minor, just the guardian of a stinking, out of the way patch of sea, that he couldn't help but be ashamed that he had done his work so badly. Such a minor demon, such a rare occurrence, such a small area to defend…and yet he'd fouled it all up. He had left without making sure the demon had been returned to Hell, and then, after the octopus had informed him that it was still on the island, he had been too late in arriving to battle it again. By the time he had returned to the island, the creature had gone. Its stench was everywhere on the island, but it was fading quickly. The demon had escaped him.

Fortunately, he had been able to sense a faint trail in the water, heading away towards the east, and he had managed to follow it. Somewhat. The shifting currents made the trail hard to pick out and several times he had been led down a false path, but he always managed to pick it up again. He hoped his skills and his luck continued to hold up. He needed to finish the task he had been entrusted with carrying out. He needed to vanquish the demon before it harmed another innocent.

Focusing once more on following the demon's trail, the Evangelist continued the hunt.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Boogieman was not sure how long he lay where the girl had thrown him, nursing his wounded pride and fighting with various unwelcome emotions, but finally, when the sun had slipped completely below the horizon and he felt fully concealed by the darkness, he managed to get to his knees and drag himself to the side of the raft. Steadying himself with one hand, he leaned over the side of the raft and scooped up some of the cool ocean water with the other. He splashed handfuls of water on the back of his head, doing his best to clean the blood from his headwound. He winced a bit as the salt made his cuts sting, but reminded himself that the stinging was probably a good thing, since it meant salt was getting in the wound. Since the girl would almost certainly not take care of this wound like she'd taken care of his others, he had to hope that the salt in the water would keep the cuts on his head from getting infected. If nothing else, the cold water did help dull the ache in his head, for which he was grateful.

He finally sat back up and stared at the darkened water rushing past below him. He didn't know what to do now. The girl hated him. He was trapped on this boat for who knew how much longer. The girl hated him. He still didn't know how he was going to get his powers back. The girl hated him. He still needed to find Murdoc and claim his soul, or he would be a laughingstock in Hell forever.

The girl hated him.

She was never going to put her arms around him again. She was never going to tease him or laugh at him or grab his nose. They would never again look at the stars together or share a meal or sleep beside one another. She would never sing for him again.

And he…he…

He would never be able to comfort her again. Especially not now, when she needed him the most.

She hated him.

And all he could think of was that he finally understood their "deal." The deal he'd thought she'd wanted to make with him when she'd first helped him to survive. It had turned out that she did want something from him when she'd saved him. She'd wanted him to turn out to be a good person. To not have done anything in his past that may have hurt her, or those she cared about. To have a clean conscience. To be someone she would want to have as a friend.

And it was a bargain he couldn't possibly honor.

He slammed his fist down on the deck of the boat. That wasn't fair! He couldn't change the past, and he most certainly couldn't change his nature! She couldn't make a deal with him that went against either of those things and expect him to be able to honor it. It wasn't fair! She knew what he was when she decided to rescue him! And yet she had expected an impossibility…had held him to an unattainable standard! It wasn't fair! SHE wasn't fair!

This was all HER fault! The damn, foolish girl! How DARE she?

So why then…

Why …

Why did he feel so guilty? Why did he feel like this was HIS fault?

He lowered his head into his hands. He was disturbed, because he knew the answer. He wasn't even confused.

He felt like it was his fault because it WAS his fault.

He HAD done something wrong.

He'd tried to take a man's soul to Hell. That was an evil act. And he'd done subsequent evil acts because of it. Kidnapping the singer. Capturing the cop and the manatee. Attacking the island and the people on it. These were evil things to do and he knew they were. It was only natural that she would object to them. It was only natural that such acts would blow up in his face in the end.

But…but he was a demon! It was in his nature to commit acts like that! His very existence revolved around them! He was supposed to do evil! He was supposed to BE evil!

How could she expect anything else from him? It wasn't FAIR!

And why…WHY…in the name of all that was unholy, did he _care?_

What was wrong with him? Why was he so sad? Why did he give a damn what some human thought of him? Why did he want the human to like him? WHY DID HE LIKE HER?

He wasn't supposed to like her. He wasn't supposed to want this. He just wanted to be normal. He wanted things to be like how they were before. He wanted…

He wanted green eyes, and soft purple hair. He wanted kind words. He wanted kisses on the tip of his nose. He wanted slender arms around him in the middle of the night. He wanted songs about melodies and love.

He wanted her.

And he could never, _ever _have her. Because of what he'd done. Because of what he was.

He was ruined. He was utterly ruined. He could never be a part of this world. His nature made it impossible. And now…now he suspected that he would never be able to fully fit into his own world either. He'd changed too much. He felt things no member of his kind should ever feel. He wanted things that no member of his kind should ever want. And the others would sense that. They would sniff it out.

And they would make him pay.

And he deserved to pay. Just as he deserved to pay for what he'd put the girl through. It was his own fault. All of it. He'd tried to play both sides and it had gotten him rejected by both. And now he was useless and miserable.

He was trash. He was worthless. He hated himself.

He wanted to weep.

No. NO! NO NO NO!

His kind did not weep. They could not weep. If he succumbed to a foolish mortal urge such as that, there would truly be no hope for him.

He was going mad. He wanted to make it stop. He wanted to throw himself in the water and drown. He wanted to take the girl and tear her to pieces because of what she'd done t him. He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her. He wanted to run away from this place. He wanted to crawl into the deepest, filthiest hole he could find and hide himself away.

But most of all, he wanted to go to her and beg her forgiveness. He wanted her to put her arms around him and tell him it would be all right.

But she wouldn't. Because it never would be all right. Nothing would ever be all right for him. He was damned. And although he'd always known that, he was, perhaps for the first time, beginning to understand just what it actually meant.

Once again, the thousands of stars above him seemed to mock him with their brilliant, uncaring light. Once again, they judged him and found him to be unworthy. Judged him to be lower than the filthiest thing that crawled through the foulest muck of the mortal world.

Unable to bear it any longer, he curled into a tiny ball, making himself as small as possible, hiding from their gaze in the only way he could.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, trying to hide, trying to forget, trying not to think of what lay in store for him, but eventually, he was jolted out of his self-pity by a gentle nudge to his exposed back.

He raised his head apprehensively, afraid it might be the girl, come to punish him further, and was surprised to see that blasted Pelican standing beside him.

The Boogieman laid his head back down with a snarl. The braindead seabird was the absolute LAST person in the world he wanted to see right now.

"Mr. Boogieman?" came the pelican's voice. "I'm really really sorry. I didn't mean to start a fight."

The Boogieman snorted softly. It always seemed like Pelican never _meant _to do anything wrong. Yet he always ended up doing it anyway. The Boogieman couldn't understand why anyone in his right mind would ever want the stupid creature around.

"Please don't be mad at me," Pelican pleaded.

The Boogieman snorted again. Mad? That was putting it mildly. He would have liked to turn the pelican into an ugly smear of blood and feathers with one swipe of his claws, and the only thing keeping him from doing so was his fear of making the girl even angrier.

"She's not gonna be mad at you forever, you know," he heard Pelican say. "Just like Seagull never stays mad at me. She's gonna forgive you. I'm sure of it!"

The Boogieman clenched his fists, the urge to splatter the irritating pelican rising. How dare he compare his unintentional buffoonery with the Boogieman's grave sins? How dare he compare the end of the Boogieman's and the girl's friendship with one of his and Seagull's garden variety arguments? How dare he think the girl would be as much of a glutton for punishment as the foolish Seagull?

"I know she called you names and stuff," the pelican blathered on. "But sometimes Seagull calls me names too, when he gets mad at me. Like when he called me a muppet at supper tonight!"

The Boogieman snorted again. He had no idea what a "muppet" was, but he was fairly sure that, whatever it was, Pelican was probably the ur-example.

"I don't like it when he calls me names," Pelican continued. "But I know he doesn't really mean it. Or if he does, he must like me anyway. 'Cause he's still my friend, even when he's mad at me. He never makes me go away, or stops talking to me."

The Boogieman sighed. The girl had done BOTH of those things to him. The blasted seabird was comparing apples to oranges. And although he couldn't kill the stupid thing, he began to wonder if he would at least be allowed to pull out a few of its feathers. Maybe just a small handful?

"So I forgive him," Pelican went on. "Even though it hurts my feelings. 'Cause I know he doesn't really mean it. And 'cause he's my friend. And 'cause I know…I know…" He trailed off and was silent.

The Boogieman raised his head slightly and was surprised to see the pelican looking out at the darkened sea with a melancholy look in his eyes.

"I know he must have to forgive ME a lot too," Pelican finally said. "I know I'm not an easy person to have as a friend. I'm always messing up and making people mad. Sometimes I don't really know why he puts up with me."

The Boogieman tilted his head slightly, surprised that the foolish bird could actually be moved by the same emotions he himself was. It was strangely comforting, in a way, to know that others went through these same kinds of feelings when they made mistakes.

"So I'm grateful, I guess," Pelican said quietly. "I'm grateful he forgives me. And so I guess I can forgive him when he messes up too. It's only fair, right?"

The Boogieman nodded slightly. He supposed it was.

Pelican was silent for a while, looking out at the horizon. But there were still traces of sadness in his perpetually confused little eyes, and the Boogieman surprised himself by reaching out and smoothing the bird's feathers.

Pelican swiveled his head to look at the Boogieman, his expression suddenly hopeful. "You don't hate me then?"

The Boogieman shook his head, realizing he was willing to make peace. The bird may have been an idiot, but this wasn't his fault. It was the Boogieman's fault, and the Boogieman's fault alone. And besides, he was surprisingly touched by Pelican's ham-fisted attempt to comfort him. He gave the bird a gentle pat and decided it was all water under the bridge.

"I'll bet she doesn't hate you either!" Pelican said, the cheerfulness finally back in his voice. "She'll forgive you! You'll see!"

The Boogieman merely shrugged, not really believing him. He still didn't really think the situations were all the similar. Pelican, for all his idiocy, couldn't HELP being a blunderer. The Boogieman, on the other hand, had been deliberate in all his actions. He doubted the girl would be able to look past that the way Seagull did for Pelican. But he didn't really want to argue about it anymore either, so he let the matter drop.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Pelican said. "I found this over there!" He gestured behind him and off to the left, then he leaned over and picked something up. The Boogieman couldn't help but wince slightly as the pelican set that embarrassingly ridiculous necklace down in front of him.

His first instinct was to seize it and hurl it into the sea, where it most certainly belonged, but when he picked it up, he hesitated. If he threw it into the water, he would never see it again. And he didn't know why, but the thought of never seeing it again made him very…sad. Of course, keeping it around would make him sad too, since he would have to see it and be reminded of what he'd lost every time he looked at it, but still…throwing it away for good seemed sadder.

"You'd better hang onto it!" Pelican said cheerfully. "She'll probably want it back when she forgives you! Goodnight, Mister Boogieman!" And with that, he took to the air with a few quick flaps and headed for his usual roost on top of the mast.

The Boogieman looked at the makeshift necklace. He doubted she would ever want it back. He knew Pelican meant well, but there was no sense in actually believing the bird and giving himself false hope.

But on the other hand…what else did he have? Was it so wrong to have hope? Did it hurt anything? Did it change anything?

Was it so awful to allow himself one speck of comfort amid all this overwhelming misery? Even if it turned out to be false hope, it was something he desperately needed right now.

He closed his hand around the cowry shell. It was supposed to be a good luck charm, wasn't it? Maybe he needed a little luck right now.

He reached up and slipped it over his head, intending to wear it himself until she forgave him. Or, if she never forgave him, he would wear it as a reminder of her. Whether he wanted to remind himself of her in order to comfort himself or to make sure he was never so foolish again, he was not sure, but he would wear it nonetheless.

He paused.

He couldn't get it over his nose.

He took it off and slipped it over his nose first, then tried to pull it over the rest of his head. It fit, but just barely.

And then it got stuck on his snout.

With an irritated sigh, he pulled it off yet again. This time, he pulled it over his nose AND snout first, then tried to get it over the rest of his head. He managed after a bit of tugging and finally got it in its proper place around his neck.

He sighed softly. Maybe it was for the best that the girl probably would not forgive him for a long time, if ever. Because it was certainly not going to be easy to get that thing off again.

With that settled, the Boogieman lay down on the deck of the boat and tried to sleep.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**I think Sunmoonstars needs some chocolate too…**


	18. Protecting the Heart

Protecting the Heart

_Noodle sat on the edge of the island, one leg dangling over the side off into space, waiting for the helicopters to show up. They had rehearsed this several times on the ground, but this was the first, and only time, they would be doing it on the actual floating island itself. The set was too expensive to rebuild if something went wrong during the shooting. Noodle knew that she had to be ready. Whatever happened, the footage they were shooting now would be the actual music video. It had to be perfect._

_ She finally heard the distant whine of the helicopters as they came from behind the island. She turned to her right and saw them both there, their shapes surprisingly bulky and menacing against the darkening sky. Something seemed off about them. Even their movement seemed a bit slower and more deliberate than she was used to during the rehearsals. She didn't have time to ponder just what it was that unnerved her about them, however. The cameras were rolling and she only had one shot at this._

_ She got to her feet, just as the copters began circling around toward the front of the island, where she had been sitting. There was a glint from one of them as the silvery barrel of a gun was lowered from its belly._

_ Noodle turned toward the windmill and gave her absolute best impression of a panicked run as she heard the helicopters begin firing at her. The rubber bullets hit the ground all behind her, tearing up grass and sending dust flying up all around her, but none of them hit her. Instead, they only struck where she had been running, as if the pilots of the copters were just a moment too slow. Just as planned._

_ She reached the windmill and ducked inside, just barely getting her head down before the bullets came tearing through the phony wall, letting perfectly round points of light into her temporary sanctuary. A second later, she felt the entire building shake as the two helicopters each clipped one of the blades of the windmill as they passed by._

_ Now she really had to be ready. Once the windmill had been hit by the copters, the small charge on the top of it would be detonated, starting a small blaze and making it look like the building had sustained heavy damage from an attack by the helicopters. It wouldn't be safe to stay inside much longer. She had to hurry up and play her part and then abandon the structure before it got too dangerous._

_ She could already smell the smoke and she scrambled to her assigned place beside one of the windows. One there, she huddled against the wall, doing her best to look small and frightened. The light began to fade as the sun went behind the clouds. She could hear the helicopters begin another circle around the island._

_She crawled to the door and pushed it open. As she got unsteadily to her feet, she looked out at the now burning island and the copters that were circling it. Both helicopters turned ponderously as they maneuvered into their places for the next stage of the mock attack. The rightmost one dipped its wing as it turned toward her._

_ Wing?_

_ Noodle blinked. It had wings. Both of them did. The short, stubby wings typical of military helicopters._

_ Baffled, she inadvertently took several steps out the door of the windmill, trying to get a better look. Even though she really didn't need to. She had finally figured out what had been bothering her about the helicopters this entire time._

_They weren't the same helicopters. The helicopters they had used for rehearsals, as well as in the Feel Good Inc. video, were smaller, rounder, and had complicatedly rigged metal tails. They were quick and agile and flew at an angle, as if being held up by their tails. And they didn't have wings._

_But these copters did. They were also much larger and heavier. They flew parallel to the ground. Their tails were solid. Their rotors glowed with an eerie orange light. And they had those stubby wings._

_She took a few more steps out into the open, squinting out at the helicopters as if that would help her make sense of them. Had Murdoc decided to replace the helicopters with something a bit more menacing? And if so, why hadn't he told her? He had stressed over and over how important this shoot was. Surely, if he had decided to change anything, he would have informed her so that she wouldn't get confused and possibly ruin the shoot._

_Both helicopters circled back to the front of the island. As she stood and watched, they each turned ponderously in the air to face her once more. And as they did so, she noticed for the first time that they had tinted windshields. Not the clear windshields of the helicopters she was familiar with, where she could see (and communicate with, if necessary) the stunt pilots, but empty expanses of black._

_And for the first time, she found her misgivings deepening into fear._

_Barely needing to put on a performance this time, she turned and bolted for the temporary safety of the now burning windmill as the copters opened fire on her once again._

_She dashed inside the door and stupidly kept going, her actions driven buy irrational terror. She tore up the stairs, still trying to tell herself that there was nothing wrong, that Murdoc had simply changed the helicopters without telling her, that she was being foolish. Those sentiments hit home even harder when she felt the heat from the burning upper levels hit her before she'd gotten even halfway to the top of the stairs. _

_She was racing upward into an inferno. While imagined phantoms nipped at her heels, she was charging right into very real danger._

_She stopped just as she heard a cracking sound from above. Looking up, Noodle saw one of the wooden beams supporting the ceiling crack and come loose. She jumped sideways off the stairs just as it fell and stuck where she had been standing._

_A moment later, she picked herself up off the floor, daze, nursing a skinned knee while bits of burning refuse still fell all around her. She needed to get out of here. The windmill was about to come down, and it was past time she got off the island and let the helicopters finish destroying it. Checking to make sure her parachute was still where she'd left it, hidden under an old blanket, Noodle paused and glanced out the now shattered window. No sign of the helicopters. Not good. She needed to jump soon, and she wanted to know where they were before she did so, so she could make sure she was clear of them._

_She looked out the window for a few moments more, but she still didn't see them. Finally deciding that she needed to get going regardless of where they were, she darted across the room and grabbed her parachute pack. She slipped it on and ran toward the door. She had to hurry. She could feel that the island was starting to fall from the sky._

_She paused once she reached the doorway, remembering that she was supposed to give one more horrified look as the island went down as a sort of "grand finale." She quickly threw her arms up in front of her face as if to shield herself from the inevitable impact with the ground. Then, hoping that was good enough, she sprinted to the edge of the island and leapt from it as if she were an Olympic long jumper. Once clear of the island, and hoping to God that the helicopters weren't anywhere below her, she pulled the string and deployed her chute._

_As she floated safely above the action, she finally allowed herself to calm down a bit. True, things hadn't gone completely as planned, but they had probably gotten enough usable footage to make a music video out of. And what moments hadn't worked, she didn't really consider her fault. Murdoc had changed the game on her without telling her. As she watched the two helicopters hover over the rocky cliff where the island had crashed, Noodle couldn't help but feel a touch of irritation. Now that she had made it safely though the shoot, she swore that the next thing she was going to do was find Murdoc and wring his neck._

_One of the helicopters opened a set of doors in its belly and released the bomb that would annihilate the island for good. Noodle watched it fall, waiting for the inevitable meeting with earth and the explosion that would follow, and because of that, she barely noticed when the other helicopter turned away from where the windmill had crashed and started heading in her direction._

_It got quite close before finally saw it there, and the bomb hit the ruined island just as she realized the danger. The explosion drowned out her screams to the pilot that he was too close, that he could hit her, or worse, that her parachute could get caught in the rotary mechanism. No one heard her shouts, just as no one heard her yelp of surprise when the helicopter suddenly extended a long silvery "arm" from its side, just above the wing. Hanging helplessly in midair, Noodle could do nothing but watch as it extended further and headed right toward her._

_It finally shot through the ropes of her parachute and then, quick as a flash, it spun, drawing all the roped together in a helpless tangle. Noodle shrieked as she was left swinging and dangling from the end of the now useless ropes. Then, before she had time to even try to make sense of what had just happened, the arms was retracting, bringing her toward the helicopter at great speed._

_As soon as she reached it, the door was flung open. A short, familiar man in glasses and an impeccable gray uniform now waited for her in the doorway of the copter. He gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes._

"_We've found you at last, Number Seventeen."_

_Noodle opened her mouth to scream._

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Noodle jolted awake with a gasp. She was alone. She was surrounded by darkness and blackened windows. It was deathly quiet. And then, somewhere in the darkness, she heard a soft sound.

_Tap tap tap…_

Her eyes widened in horror.

She'd fallen asleep.

She wasn't ready.

And they had come. They were waiting for her.

_Tap tap tap…_

She bolted upright, trying to clear the fogginess in her head. She had to get over there now! She couldn't mess it up...she needed to get out! They all did!

She rolled out of her bed and was startled to find that she wasn't _in _a bed. She was lying in the floor. Which was carpeted in some sort of rough, scratchy upholstery, like the floor of a car.

A car. She was in a car. _The _car, on the raft. She wasn't at the lab. She was on the raft. Out at sea. She's gone to the car after fighting with Sunmoonstars, and apparently fallen asleep. He'd kidnapped 2D. He'd rigged their success. She wasn't a good guitarist.

_Tap tap tap…_

Her head snapped up, and she was startled to find Seagull perched outside the nearest passenger-side window, tapping softly on the glass…

She stared up at him, relived to find out it was only him and yet, still unnerved at the old feelings and old ghosts his actions had brought up.

_I thought you were the Spacemonkeyz…_

She shook her head fiercely, trying to clear the last bit of disorientation from it. She was out of that place. She was safe on the raft.

She hated the damn helicopter dreams. They always did this to her.

_Tap tap tap…_

She realized she had been staring at Seagull for several minutes without doing anything. He was beginning to look rather impatient.

"Sorry," Noodle said, loud enough for him to hear her outside the car. Not really wanting to get out of the car, she reached up and found the hand crank for the old car's window. It was a bit sticky, but still worked. She rolled down the window enough for the bird to hop inside.

"Hmmph," he said, as soon as he landed inside. "I was beginning to think you were still angry with me and weren't going to let me in."

Noodle felt herself flush slightly. "I was never mad at you," she told him. "Or Pelican. I was just….mad at Sunmoonstars. I shouldn't have taken it out on you two. I'm sorry."

He nodded his head slightly as if he didn't consider it all that big a deal. "It's forgiven. Anyway, I came to check on you." He looked up at her, as if waiting for her to give him an update on her mood.

"Mmph," she said, dropping her eyes from his in embarrassment. "I'll be fine."

"That doesn't sound terribly convincing," he said dryly.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Noodle told him, still looking down at her hands. "It's going to take more than a nap to make me feel better about all this. But I'll be okay eventually. You don't have to worry I'll jump overboard and leave you adrift on the open sea or something."

"That wasn't what I was worried about," he told her simply.

She waited, but he didn't say anything more. And she wasn't sure what else he was expecting her to say. The silence between them stretched out to fill several minutes. She reached down and plucked at a piece of loose upholstery on the floor as she waited for him to leave.

"Where are the others?" she finally asked him, unable to take the silence anymore.

"Both of them are asleep," the gull told her.

"Hmmph." It certainly didn't seem like Sunmoonstars had been very affected by what happened, if he had just fallen asleep like nothing happened. But then, what else could she expect from a creature like him?

"For what it's worth," Seagull said, as if he could tell what she was thinking, "he did stay awake for quite awhile. And when he wasn't looking out at the horizon, he was having a conversation with Pelican." The gull rolled his eyes. "Given how well those two get on, I'd say he'd have to be feeling fairly out of sorts to put up with Pelican's company for such a length of time."

Noodle shook her head. The guy with a brain but no mouth talking to the guy with a mouth but no brain. "I'll bet _that _was an interesting conversation," she muttered.

"I didn't eavesdrop," Seagull told her.

"I didn't say you did," Noodle said, feeling her irritation rise. She took a deep breath to keep herself calm. This wasn't Seagull's fault. "Anyway, what does it matter if he feels bad? It doesn't change what he did."

"No, it doesn't," the bird agreed.

"Everyone I've ever been friends with has turned out to be a jerk," she muttered quietly. _Well, except for 2D, now that I know he was never in on this willingly. And Russel…it's definitely not fair that I was lumping him in with the others either. _Still, even knowing that they were never a part of Murdoc's villainy, she found her heart reluctant to go back to trusting them. There was too much fear that they would turn out to have nasty secrets hidden somewhere, just waiting to pop out and slap her in the face. They were both very flawed people, after all. She wasn't sure how much more risk she could take.

"I'm very sorry, if that's the case," Seagull told her gently. "However, I do have to wonder what you expected."

"What do you mean?" Noodle asked him.

"Well, you knew he was a demon, didn't you?" he replied.

"I didn't really know what he was, at first," she told Seagull. "But yeah, that was my best guess."

"Well, if you thought he was a demon, wouldn't it be likely that he has done dreadful things? Demons usually do, you know. Perhaps I'm curious as to why you're so surprised."

Noodle sighed. She supposed it was a valid question. And she _had _wondered about Sunmoonstars's past many a time. But she really hadn't wanted to know. Which was foolish, she supposed. And maybe a bit selfish too. After all, even if she'd known in a purely theoretical way that Sunmoonstars had nasty deeds n his past, she'd assumed they were things that didn't have anything to do with her. Or at least, she'd wanted to believe that. And now she was angry at him. Not because he'd done bad things, but because he'd done bad things to _her. _Was she so selfish that she would overlook wrong done to others as long as it didn't affect her?

"I guess I'm just an idiot," she finally told Seagull. "I was so desperate for someone to…to….for…for a…_friend, _that I was willing to take what I could get. It didn't matter who it was, or what they'd done. I was foolish. Maybe I deserve to have all this come back and bite me in the ass."

Seagull sighed softly. "I know the feeling. We don't always get our first choice of friends in life, do we?"

She shook her head. "No, we don't."

"All we can do is make the best of what we're given," Seagull told her.

"So what does that mean, exactly?" Noodle asked him, a touch of sarcasm entering her voice. "Are we just supposed to put up with horrible people and the things they do to us because we can't find anything better? Is that it?" She wasn't sure she could take it much longer, if that was the case. Her heart had been broken so many times she wasn't sure there was anything left to mend.

"Of course not," Seagull said, keeping his own voice neutral. "No one is saying you have to put up with being treated badly."

"Well, then what are you saying?" Noodle snapped. "If I put up with terrible people, they'll do terrible things to me! That's what terrible people do! I'd rather be fucking alone than be around people like Murdoc and Sunmoonstars!"

Seagull was silent for a long time, and Noodle began to wonder if she'd hurt his feelings. She was supposed to try and keep from losing her temper at him, after all.

"Noodle, I don't really know what I'm saying," Seagull finally said. "I'm certainly the last person in the world who should be sharing wisdom about friendship. The only friend I have in the world is an idiot who drives me crazy. And it's less of a friendship than it is co-dependence. In a way, I envy you, since you have more friends, even as terrible as they are, than I have ever had. Then again, in a way, I'm grateful, since I'm sure they'd all irritate me."

"Seagull…" Noodle began. She hadn't meant to rub anything in his face with her whining.

"But I do know that no friend is perfect. If I didn't have to put up with Pelican, I would have to put up with someone else. Just as you would end up putting up with someone else even if your bandmates and Sunmoonstars were gone for good. You can't go through life _never _being hurt, Noodle."

"Yeah, but I seem to be getting hurt an awful lot lately," she said softy, plucking at the piece of loose upholstery once again.

"By Sunmoonstars?" Seagull asked her.

"No, just…everyone. It seems like everyone ends up letting me down."

"And I am sorry for that," he said again. "But you can only deal with one person at a time. And right now, that person is Sunmoonstars."

She rolled her eyes. "Who says I have to 'deal with him' at all?"

"No one," the bird told her. "But I think you would be happier if you did. You can't tell me that sulking in here while he sulks out on deck is making either of you feel better."

She shook her head. "No, but…would talking about it make me feel better? It wouldn't undo what he did. All it would do is give him a chance to hurt me again."

"And that is a chance you will always take," Seagull replied. "Even the kindest of people will hurt you eventually. No one is perfect."

"There's a difference between accepting the flaws of otherwise good people and letting horrible people hurt you," Noodle pointed out, a little grouchily.

"Indeed," the gull agreed. "And it isn't easy to know the difference. But I think someone as intelligent as you can figure it out. It's up to you to decide which of your friends are worth forgiving and which should be…er….removed from your life."

"I guess," Noodle said, sighing softly. "But what if I make a mistake?"

"Then you make a mistake," Seagull replied. "It's probably inevitable, you know. You aren't perfect anymore than your friends are."

Noodle managed a chuckle. "I suppose not. I just gotta pick myself back up and try not to make the same mistake again, then, right?"

"I suppose that's the only alternative to giving up and becoming a recluse," the bird said, and she thought she heard a bit of amusement in his voice. "You don't seem like the type who's cut out for that life."

"I suppose you're right," she said, smiling. A little. "I guess I'll just have to have a long talk with myself before I decide which of my friends are worth keeping then."

"Start with Sunmoonstars," Seagull suggested. "He's the nearest."

Noodle ripped up the piece of upholstery and flicked it away. "I've already decided about him. He's in the 'get rid of' pile."

The gull gave her an inquisitive look. "Do you really mean that?" Noodle opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off. "Don't answer me. Just think it over. It doesn't seem like a decision that should be made rashly." He turned toward the door and made a short hop up onto the windowsill.

"Seagull?" she said, before he could hop out of the car.

He turned and looked toward her.

"Thanks for…for…everything." Noodle told him. "You had some good advice."

His eyes twinkled with amusement. "I doubt that. After all, I only have one friend. I hope I didn't just give you advice that will make things worse."

"I doubt that," Noodle replied, smiling at him. "Oh, and Seagull?"

The bird remained looking at her.

"You don't have just one friend. You have two." She winked at him.

She saw a touch of surprise in his eyes. He stared at her blankly for a moment, as if not sure what to do with the news. Finally, he bobbed his head slightly. "The feeling is mutual. Although….I suppose that means you'll have to make a decision about whether or not I get sorted into the 'worthy' pile or the 'unworthy' pile."

Noodle laughed. "Oh, I already decided about you. I'd like you to stick around. Pelican too. If you want to, anyway. But…uh…since we're on the subject…if either you or Pelican were a serial killer ten years ago or something, now would probably be the best time to tell me."

The bird shook his head. "You can rest assured that that isn't the case."

"Good to know," Noodle said with a grin.

"It was nine years ago." The gull threw her a wink and hopped out the window.

Noodle chuckled after him as she cranked the window back up, feeling a little better. She wasn't sure if she had a handle on what to do about the constant disappointments by the people in her life, but she did feel like she had a good start. Russel…2D…these two were easy. They had never seriously wronged her, and it had been lousy of her to blame them for Murdoc's actions. Although she knew there was no guarantee that they wouldn't hurt her in the future, she couldn't reject them based only on what _might _be. They were her friends.

Murdoc and Sunmoonstars, on the other hand…well, she was pretty sure that those two had proven themselves beyond redemption. Murdoc had a laundry list of horrible behavior and treatment of his supposed friends, and Sunmoonstars was a demon. Even if he hadn't hurt her nearly as much as Murdoc had…and even if his hurting of her had been mostly indirect, a side effect of his dealing with Murdoc, it didn't change what he was. Murdoc himself had more of a chance of cleaning up his act that a being whose sole reason for existence was causing others pain.

She felt a twinge of guilt at the thought, and put her hand to her chest, where the makeshift necklace had rested until this evening. That wasn't entirely fair, after all. He may have caused her pain, but that wasn't the only feeling he had brought out in her. There had been moments of kindness, of laughter, of joy, even of tenderness between them. In fact, their relationship had been every bit as complex as that between two humans. It didn't fit what she thought a demon should act like.

Could demons be just as complicated as humans? Could they think and feel things that humans felt? Was it possible?

And did it matter?

Murdoc certainly was human, and could think and feel what humans felt. And he still did shitty things. And she didn't think she could forgive him for it. Why should it be any different for Sunmoonstars?

Unless it was because…judging from his actions during that confrontation earlier, Sunmoonstars actually seemed to feel _bad _about what he had done. And that was a feeling she had _never, _once, gotten from Murdoc.

She touched where the necklace had been again. For the first time, she felt its absence clearly. And her eyes wandered to the window opposite from her. She could still see the faint cracks in it from where she had knocked Sunmoonstars's head into the window. There was a small, dark smear of dried blood still in the center of them.

"Sunmoonstars…" she whispered softly, finally letting herself feel a touch of guilt for the way she had acted.

Almost immediately, conflicting voices rose up within her, telling her she must not fall into such a trap. Telling her that Sunmoonstars was as dangerous to her, emotionally, as Murdoc was, if not more so, and by allowing herself to feel pity, she was taking the first step toward falling back into the trap of letting "friends" walk all over her. Had she learned nothing from all this? Was she going to forgive Murdoc the first time she allowed herself to feel pity for him as well?

Would anything change if she continued on the way she had been going?

But…Sunmoonstars had also been a good friend to her…most of the time, anyway. She couldn't deny that. Demon or not, he was more than a straight-up villain. Didn't he at least deserve the benefit of the doubt? A chance to explain? A second chance?

She didn't want to hurt anymore. She wanted to protect herself. She wanted to keep herself safe from the pain he might cause her again.

But at the same time, she hurt from knowing that she had hurt _him_, that she had been rough with him, that she had been so nasty to someone who, despite his faults, genuinely seemed to care for her. She wanted to forgive him and put all this behind her.

She realized she wanted it terribly.

She realized she wanted BOTH things terribly. And having them both was impossible.

The situation was complicated. Too complicated, she realized, for simple solutions.

Noodle sighed, still touching where the necklace had been, and looked out the window, at the starry sky beyond, wondering what to do.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**I almost want to put dancing jugglers in the next chapter, to counterbalance these last couple of angstball chapters.**


	19. What Really Matters

**What Really Matters**

**Before we begin, I'd like to thank blue-eyed-cow for inspiring this chapter. I ended up liking your idea better than mine ;)**

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Boogieman woke up from a light, troubled sleep for the third time that night. He raised his head groggily, feeling like he hadn't rested at all, and wondered if it was close to being morning yet. Not only was he not sleeping well, but he was beginning to feel a bit unnerved being alone out on deck like this. Ever since he had woken up the first time, he had had a strange feeling that there was something out there in the water, still far away right now, but coming closer. It had felt closer every time he had woken up, and he was beginning to feel uneasy.

He sat up and glanced around the boat. There was no sign of the girl, and he guessed that she was asleep in the car. A quick glance at the mast revealed the two birds sleeping up there, side by side. Everyone was accounted for and nothing seemed out of place, but he could still feel something, in the back of his mind, niggling at him. He glanced uneasily out at the darkened ocean and felt his misgivings rise.

He honestly didn't know what could be out there that was worth being afraid of. The most dangerous thing he could think of that swam in the ocean was a shark, and it didn't seem likely that a shark would be able to capsize a raft this size. And how would he know if a shark was out there in the darkness anyway? He couldn't see anything in the water. It didn't make sense.

There was nothing out there to be afraid of.

But he began to wish that he could at least go and lie down on the other side of the raft. Put something between him and the uncomfortable presence. He wished that he could go inside the car and cuddle up beside the girl and take comfort in her presence. But of course, that was impossible. Heck, moving to the other side of the boat was impossible, since she had told him to stay on the opposite side of the boat from where she was. He was stuck in this spot.

And maybe that was for the best, since indulging in this foolish irrational fear would only make things worse. Best to just realize it was nothing and ignore it. Face it and move on.

But he wished morning would at least come soon. So the others would wake up and he wouldn't feel so alone.

Not that that would be much better for him, since he would probably still be required to stay in this spot. He doubted the girl would let him move freely around the boat. She hated him, after all.

The familiar sense of loss and helplessness welled up in him again, and he tried to ignore it this time, since he didn't need THAT making him feel even worse. He wondered for a moment if that was ultimately the root cause of this unnerving feeling. Now that the girl no longer wanted him, he was alone. Alone in a world he was unfamiliar with, with no idea what to do or how to return to where he had come from. He hated to admit it…but he was scared.

He sighed softly to himself and hung his head. He had no right to feel sorry for himself, after the things he'd done. He deserved this, and probably more…but…that didn't change the fact that he was scared.

He reached up and touched the necklace he now wore around his neck, like he'd seen the girl do so many times, but it brought him no comfort. It was just a thing. Just an empty shell tied to a piece of twine. If it did have any powers, any meaning, any ability to comfort, they certainly weren't meant for someone like him.

His uneasiness deepened, although he still did not know why, and he looked out at the ocean once again. Still nothing. But he wasn't reassured. He felt almost certain something was out there now. And no matter how far they sailed, it seemed to keep up with them. As if it was following them…

He glanced toward the car, where the girl still slept, and wondered how badly she would punish him if he went in there against her wishes. He would beg, plead (as best he was able to, anyway, with no voice), even allow her to punish him, to smack him around a bit more if she wanted to, if only she would let him hide in there. He doubted the car would provide much protection against whatever was out there, but at least he wouldn't feel so vulnerable.

He considered it a moment more, but finally decided against it. As scared as he was, he feared making her angrier even more. Not because he was afraid she would hurt him, but simply because the thought of her hating him even more than she already did was too painful.

He looked up at the mast instead, where the two birds were still sleeping. He wondered if maybe he could wake them up instead. They certainly wouldn't be able to protect him from anything, but at least he would have some company, and that might help ease his nervousness.

But he eventually decided against that too. He couldn't really communicate to them why he wanted them to stay up with him, and trying would likely result the seagull getting annoyed and the pelican getting confused. And that would probably wake the girl up. And once again, he would be in trouble.

It seemed there was nothing to do but sit out here and wait. And be afraid.

He looked out at the water again, and perked up at once. There was light on the horizon.

Dawn?

For a brief, wonderful moment, he felt a stirring of hope in his chest, a hope that the sun was finally coming up and would vanquish the fears of the night. And while he realized that such thoughts were quite ironic for a demon to have, he couldn't help but be comforted by them nonetheless.

But the feeling was short-lived. Even as he looked at the light, he realized it was the wrong color for dawn. The light was too small, too bright, too white. It wasn't the cheery orange of the sun, or the muted red and pinks of dawn, but a cold, shining white. In fact, it was so bright, it made his eyes hurt.

And it seemed to be getting closer.

The Boogieman got to his feet.

He had seen light like that once before.

He had been held by its insurmountable power.

And he had felt the pain of its righteous fire.

He now knew what was coming toward him, just as he also knew that it was too late, far too late, for him to do anything about it. He was trapped here on this raft, in a powerless mortal body. There was no way to fight back, and nowhere to run.

And as he watched the light speed toward him, now only a few hundred yards from the raft, he had a final, anguished thought.

He deserved this.

Then the Evangelist burst from the water, gun already drawn, and all the Boogieman knew was the burning pain of his holy fire.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Noodle awoke from a light slumber, not by familiar nightmares this time, but by a gradual brightening of her surroundings. She opened her eyes a crack and was startled to realize that she could see her surroundings quite clearly. Was it dawn already? She hadn't meant to fall asleep. And she had done so before deciding what to do about Sunmoonstars. Now, it was morning, she was going to have to come out of the car, and she still didn't know how she was going to deal with him. Or if she even needed to.

She heard the soft _clunk _of booted feet against the deck of the boat outside and her heart sank. It sounded like he was awake and moving around already. She had at least hoped to have a little more time to decide what to do before getting out of the car and facing-

There was a louder _thunk from_ outside and Noodle lost her train of thought as the boat shook slightly. Almost as if something had hit it at high speed. She had only a moment to wonder what was going on and then, suddenly, everything around her was lit up as bright as day.

She threw her hands in front of her face as the piercing light blinded her. She dropped onto her belly and buried her face in the scratchy upholstery on the car's floor, wanting only to block out the overpowering light. It not only overloaded her senses, it seemed to overload her _emotions _as well. There was something both fiercely comforting and utterly menacing about it, and strangely enough, there was also a feeling of familiarity about it as well. She was certain she had seen it somewhere before, and even more certain it had been the cause of something bad.

_Russel…_

She opened her eyes in surprise, and was immediately sorry for it. She squeezed them shut again, even as she wondered why she had been so vividly reminded of the drummer.

_Russel…Russel falling…Russel helpless…Russel SHRINKING!_

Noodle gasped. Now she remembered. Now she knew where the light was coming from. And what it meant.

She forced herself to her knees and very slowly, brought her head up enough so she could peek out the window. Squinting her eyes as far shut as possible without closing them all the way, Noodle opened her fingers a crack and allowed herself to gaze out.

The Evangelist stood on the deck, its gun drawn, blasting that intense holy light at the cowering Sunmoonstars. The demon had fallen to his knees, head down, hands on the deck trying to support himself and keep himself upright, but he seemed to be making no resistance to the actual attack at all.

"I've found you at least, demon!" the Evangelist shouted in that strange, burbling voice. "This time, you will not escape me! I will send you back to where you came from, and you will never be allowed to harm another innocent!" And with those words, the Evangelist squeezed the trigger of the water gun harder, and the blinding light intensified. Sunmoonstars seemed to…wilt under the power of the blinding fire.

_No…_

Sunmoonstars fell over onto his belly.

_No, stop…_

The demon reached out weakly with one hand and gripped the deck of the boat, as if trying to crawl away, but he lacked the strength for even a half-hearted attempt. His hand lost its grip on the deck and went limp.

_You're killing him…_

Every other emotion Noodle had felt that night…all her anger…all her pain and feelings of betrayal…all her logical arguments as to why she had to protect herself…all of it seemed to vanish into dust in the wind when she saw her friend slowly dying at the Evangelist's feet.

Noodle dropped back to the floor of the car, hoping the strange, fishbowl-headed creature hadn't spotted her. She knew she had little chance of stopping it (if the gigantic Russel hadn't stood a chance against it, she doubted she stood much of one), but if there was any hope at all, it lay in getting the drop on the creature. Already a vague plan was forming in her mind…a long shot, but the best idea she could come up with under the circumstances. The only thing she needed was enough time to get over there without being spotted, a distraction at the appropriate moment…and for Sunmoonstars to hold out just a bit longer.

A loud _thunk _on the roof of the car heralded the answer to one of her problems. She looked up at the window and wasn't surprised to see a ragged brown shape go plummeting past it a moment later. She reached up and, as slowly and quietly as possible, opened the car door a crack. As soon as she did, the terrified Pelican made a mad dash for the relative safety of the car. However, he must have been half-blinded by the light, the way Noodle herself had been, because he missed the open door by almost a foot and bonked into the side of the car instead.

Noodle quickly grabbed a hold of him and pulled him inside. He opened his beak to let out a shout, but Noodle pushed the top of it back down and held it shut with both hands.

"Don't yell," she hissed at the frightened seabird. "It's only me, and I need you to keep quiet or that thing's going to find us in here! Understand?"

His beady, terrified little eyes looked up at her, still half shut from the intensity of the light, but they seemed to recognize her, and a moment later, he nodded.

Noodle finally released his beak. "Where is Seagull?" she whispered to him, before he could say anything.

"He tried to stop the monster, and it threw an octopus at him!" Pelican moaned quietly. "I tried to go after him to help, but I couldn't see anything and I ended up falling over here instead! Miss Noodle…we gotta help Seagull and Mister Boogieman!"

"I know," she said quietly. "And I have a plan. But I'm going to need your help. Can you follow directions and do EXACTLY what I tell you?"

Pelican nodded his head vigorously. "Of course, Miss Noodle! I'll do anything to help Seagull! What do I do?"

"I'm going to get out of the car and crawl over to the mast. Once I get there, I'll give you a signal, and then I want you to fly at the Evan…er, the monster. Fly at him and get his attention. But stay away from his head." Noodle told him. "Can you do that?"

"What if he throws an octopus at me too?" protested the pelican.

"He might," Noodle told him. "But if everything goes according to plan, it won't matter. All I need is a quick distraction. Can you do that?"

Pelican hesitated a moment, than nodded.

"Are you sure? We only have one chance to save Seagull and Sunmoonstars. We can't mess it up."

Pelican nodded again. "I'll do it, Miss Noodle. I promise!"

"Okay," she said. "I'm going now. As soon as I raise my hand, I want you to fly at him with everything you've got, okay?"

"Okay!" she heard Pelican say as she squeezed out the halfway open car door and began crawling toward the mast on her hands and knees. It was as bright as noon outside, and her shadow was etched in front of her as clearly as if it had been drawn in black ink. She quickly crawled around behind the car, then stuck her head out just a tiny bit from her hiding place.

The mast was only a few feet away. It would take her a second, maybe two, to dart out from her hiding place and reach it. But could she make it before the Evangelist spotted her? If the strange creature saw her, she would be defeated as easily as Russel. She knew that. She could only hope that Pelican's distraction would be enough.

She spared a quick glance toward the Evangelist and Sunmoonstars. The bizarre, fishbowl-headed creature was still in the same spot, its gun still drawn, still blasting the demon with that white light. Sunmoonstars was no longer moving. The edges of his dark form seemed to…blur…almost as if he were made of smoke.

And on the deck of the boat, slightly to the left of the Evangelist's feet, a green shape moved feebly. No, it wasn't the green shape that was moving…it was what the shape was holding down. As she watched, a pair of white wings flapped uselessly from beneath the small green octopus.

Noodle didn't need to see any more. She knew she had to go now, if there was to be any chance at all of saving her friends. She looked behind her and saw Pelican peeking out from behind the car door, watching her. She raised her hand and then charged toward the mast.

She heard the strong beating of the bird's wings from behind her and a moment later, saw the Evangelist's strange head swivel in the direction of the pelican. Hoping it was enough, she sprinted the last couple of steps to the mast and took hold of the bottom support for the sail (a bent, rusted metal pole). Bracing her feet against the deck of the boat, she pushed the sail toward the Evangelist with all her might.

The sail swiveled around with a loud rattling sound, and the Evangelist had just a moment to turn back toward the noise and see the metal bar coming toward it before it connected heavily with the creature's face.

There was a loud, heavy _clunk _as the pole hit home and then the creature's head shattered as it was thrown off its feet and hurled toward the side of the boat. Noodle screamed in revulsion as glass, seaweed, tentacles, eyes, fish, water and some sort of pink, fleshy goo went flying everywhere, showering the deck of the boat with gore. The light surrounding them all winked out as the gun flew from the Evangelist's hand and fell into the sea.

The Evangelist itself hit the deck of the boat hard, bounced, and then went over the side, its long fingered hands grasping uselessly at its jagged neck stump. There was a loud _splash _as she heard it hit the water below.

Noodle rushed to the side of the boat and peered over the side. She could see a faint light in the water, growing smaller and dimmer by the moment, almost as if it were sinking into the depths as she watched. A moment later, it sputtered and then went out, like a snuffed out candle flame.

A second later, a small shape slid past her feet and hit the water with a tiny splash. Noodle saw the green, one-eyed octopus dive down and quickly disappear from sight.

Noodle watched for a few minutes more, but she saw no other sign of the light, the octopus, or the creature. Had it truly been destroyed?

"Ugh…" came a dull, irritated voice from behind her. "It looks like someone bombed a seafood restaurant over here."

She whirled around and saw Seagull, now on his feet and eyeing the Evangelist's remains with distaste.

"Are you all right?" she asked him relieved to see him alive.

"Yes," he replied. He spread his wings out and shook them slightly. "Although I doubt I'll ever get the slime out of my feathers."

"SEAGULL!" came Pelican's shout, and a moment later he had landed on the deck of the boat with a thud. "Oh Seagull, you're all right!" He waddled over to the smaller bird and nuzzled him with his huge beak.

"I'm in need of a wash, but other than that, I'm fine," he said, pulling away from Pelican's exuberant fawning. "The octopus didn't seem to be trying to hurt me. It was only holding me down. As if it didn't want me interfering…" He trailed off and suddenly looked apprehensive. Slowly, he turned his head toward the inner deck, where a dark form lay crumpled.

"Sunmoonstars!" Noodle shouted, at his side in a flash. He lay on his belly, head angled to the right, wide empty eyes staring sightlessly at the car door beside him. He was not moving, but she could hear his hissing breathing, now loud and ragged, so at least she knew he wasn't dead. Yet.

She reached out to touch him and immediately snatched her hand away with a shriek.

He felt red hot. Touching him was like sticking her fingers on a stove burner. She shoved her smarting fingers into her mouth with a whimper, sure they were going to blister.

"Miss Noodle, are you all right?" came Pelican's voice.

Noodle pulled her fingers from her mouth as she turned toward the two birds. "Go inside the car and get my pack!" she told them. "It has my first aid kit in it! Hurry!" As the two of them rushed off, she turned back to Sunmoonstars grimly. A first aid kit probably wasn't going to do much good for someone with extensive burns, like the ones he surely had, but it was the only thing she could-

She froze. There wasn't a mark on him. What little skin of his that she could see was just as smooth and green as it always was.

She looked at her fingers. There was no sign of any blisters. In fact, the pain had already disappeared as well. They felt fine.

Curiously, she reached out and very slowly placed her hand on Sunmoonstars's shoulder. He still felt warm to the touch, but no longer painfully so. He reminded her less of a hot stove burner and more of a pie that had been taken out of the oven and left cooling on a windowsill.

"Sunmoonstars?" she said softly, her hand still on his shoulder, still feeling the heat seep off of him as his body slowly returned to its normal temperature.

He didn't move.

Her eyes blurred with tears. She reached up to stroke his head, no longer caring in the slightest about its strange, veiny texture. "Please be all right…" she whispered, running her hand gently down the back of his neck.

She stopped when she felt rough plastic. Blinking in surprise, she leaned over and pushed the collar of his cloak back slightly to reveal the shell necklace he'd made for her hanging snugly around his neck.

He'd kept it.

"Oh, Sunmoonstars," she choked out, tears finally welling up and spilling down her cheeks. "You do love me."

Unable to bear it any longer, she scooped up his limp form and held him close to her, rocking him gently in her arms, just as she'd done on the night she first found him She squeezed her eyes shut, trying with all her might not to start crying. "Please be okay," she whispered, still rocking him in her arms. 'Please, please, just be okay."

She heard a clunk behind her, as if someone had set something down.

"Miss Noodle," came Pelican's hesitant voice. "Do you still want your-?"

"Not now," she heard Seagull tell him, with surprising gentleness.

Noodle ignored the two of them, still trying to blink back her tears. "Please, Sunmoonstars… " she whispered. "Please don't die. I'm here now, and everything's gonna be okay…and…and…please, you have to wake up."

And then she felt a slight, feeble movement in her arms.

She snapped her head up, tears still trickling down her cheeks. "Sunmoonstars?" she said, looking down at him.

He stirred slightly, reaching out weakly. He found her…and she felt cling tightly to her. He buried his face in her shoulder. Or tried to, anyway. His nose got in the way.

"Sunmoonstars?" she said again. "Are…are you all right?"

No response. He just clung tighter.

"Hey…" she said softly, rubbing his back gently. "Hey, it's okay. Everything's okay now. The Evangelist is gone. He's gone now…and I don't think he's coming back. You're safe."

Her words seemed to reassure him somewhat, because she felt his grip loosen. It didn't release fully, however, and Sunmoonstars still didn't raise his head.

"Sunmoonstars, are you hurt?" Noodle asked him.

She felt him shake his head without raising it.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "That light…whatever it was…it looked like it was really hurting you."

He cringed sharply at her words, and her eyes widened in surprise. She looked down at him, a question on her lips, but he refused to look back up at her. He kept his face turned away from her, as if afraid.

Or ashamed.

Hesitantly, Noodle reached down and rubbed his smooth, rubbery cheek. "Hey…" she said softly, gently turning his head up so he was looking at her. "It's okay, Sunmoonstars. It's okay." She slipped her arms back around him and held him tenderly.

"Give them privacy," she heard Seagull say, and a moment later she heard a soft flapping of wings as the two birds made themselves scarce.

Noodle reached up and rubbed the back of the demon's slender neck. Her hand found the necklace once more and she ran her fingers along the smooth twine.

"I can't believe you kept this," she whispered.

He cringed slightly again, as if her words had stung him, but made no further response.

Noodle rubbed his neck again, feeling helpless. She desperately wanted to comfort him, and she could tell he desperately _wanted_ comfort, and yet…he also seemed almost _afraid_ of her. Which, she supposed, was understandable, given how she had acted earlier...but…she didn't want him to be frightened of her. She'd almost lost him, and she wanted to comfort him.

In desperation, she turned to the only thing she thought might work.

She nestled him in her arms and began to hum her mother's lullaby.

The demon started a bit in her arms, as if he wasn't expecting such a thing, but then, slowly, gradually, she felt him begin to relax. He didn't raise his head from her shoulder, but she felt his muscles uncoil and his mad heartbeat begin to slow. And then, hesitantly, she felt him raise his hand and touch her hair.

She stopped singing in surprise. "Sunmoonstars?" she said.

He ran his fingers through her dark purple hair tenderly. Slowly, he moved his hand down her neck, down her back, to her waist. Then he wrapped both his arms around her and held her to him in a tight hug.

Noodle broke into a smile. "Oh Sunmoonstars," she said softly. "I'm so glad you're all right."

He finally raised his head up to meet her gaze. Softly, he caressed her cheek with his long, clawed fingers.

Noodle covered his hand with her own and held it there, against her face, in contentment. Gently, she ran her other hand down the back of the demon's head.

And stopped when she felt wetness against her finger tips.

She pulled her hand away and her eyes widened when she saw dark blood on her fingertips.

"Sunmoonstars, you're bleeding!" she said in surprise. "You _are _hurt. Did this happen in the…?"

She trailed off. Of course it didn't happen in the attack. It was from her smacking his head against the car window earlier. "Oh…" she said, guilty tears stinging in her eyes once more. "Oh, right." She dropped her eyes from his in embarrassment.

He slipped his arms back around her and reached up to smooth her hair once more.

"Heh…." She said, forcing a weak laugh. "Good to see you aren't the type to hold grudges."

She'd meant it as a joke, something to lighten the mood a bit, but it came across more as making light of what she'd done. Which only made her feel more awkward. She cleared her throat. "Well…anyway….I should take a look at it and make sure it doesn't need stitches or something. Can you sit up?"

The demon nodded and did as he was told, sitting up and turning his back to her so she could look at the injury. She was surprised to find the wound on his head wasn't very big, and it had mostly scabbed over besides. There was just a small trickle of blood coming from it, as if it had torn open slightly in the attack. Still, it _was_ bleeding, so Noodle began dabbing it with disinfectant.

She found it easier to talk to him when he wasn't looking at her. "I'm sorry for getting so mad at you earlier, Sunmoonstars," she said as she cleaned the wound.

Sunmoonstars hung his head slightly.

"Hold still," Noodle told him automatically, and he snapped his head back up. She quickly finished wiping the blood from the back of his head and then took out a piece of gauze from the first aid kit. "And I'm sorry I hit you…and smacked your head…and said I hated you…" Her voice broke and she trailed off, concentrating only on affixing the bandage to the demon's head. "There," she finally said, as she finished her work. "Soon it'll be as good as new." She turned away from her friend and busied herself with putting the supplies back in the kit, not really wanting to meet his eyes right now.

A hand touched her shoulder.

She froze, and her vision blurred. She did her best to blink back the tears, but she still didn't move from her spot. She still couldn't face him.

His other hand came around and settled on her cheek. He gently turned her head so she was looking at him.

She gave him a weak smile, still feeling uncomfortable. "What is it?" she asked, turning around so she was facing him.

He pointed to himself. Then he pointed to her. He paused, as if thinking, then mimed smacking her shoulder.

Noodle blinked in surprise, and not only because, for a moment, she was afraid the punch was going to be a real one. "You hit me too?" she guessed, although she didn't see how that could be correct. He hadn't hit her.

Sunmoonstars shook his head. He thought a bit more, pointed to himself, then pointed at her again. Then he made weeping motions.

"You made me cry?" Noodle guessed.

He nodded. Then, he pointed to himself and made weeping motions again.

"And then I made you cry?" she said.

He shook his head. He pointed to himself, then placed a hand over his face and hung his head, as if ashamed.

"And you're sad? You feel bad?" Noodle asked. She was beginning to see what he was trying to say.

The demon nodded.

"Are you trying to _apologize_ to me?" Noodle asked him, dumbfounded.

Sunmoonstars nodded vigorously.

He was sorry. He really was. He really did feel bad about what he'd done to her.

Of course, that didn't change the fact that he'd hurt her friends. That he would likely hurt others in the future. That she wasn't a good guitarist and that who knew how much of her past success was a lie.

But right now…..right now she didn't give a shit about any of it.

She threw her arms around him and tackled him to the floor of the boat. "Oh Sunmoonstars," she said tenderly, a surprisingly powerful wave of relief washing over her. "I forgive you."

The demon wrapped his arms around her and held her back. He nestled his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling her gently with the snout of his mask.

"Does this mean you forgive me too?" she whispered.

He nodded.

Noodle grinned. "Thank you, Sunmoonstars," she said softly. And she gave him a little kiss on the tip of the nose.

Sunmoonstars finally let her go, and she rolled over onto her back. The two of them lay there for several minutes, looking up at the stars, just as they had once done on Plastic Beach. Noodle sighed softly, suddenly feeling a bit wistful. It already seemed like so long ago. It was amazing how much could change in such a short time.

Sunmoonstars covered her outstretched hand with his own.

Noodle smiled. "I'm glad we're friends again," she told him. "You…you mean a lot to me, you know."

He rubbed her fingers a bit, as if to say that she meant a lot to him too.

"And…I…well, I want you to know that, while I hate what you did, I could never hate you. I'm really sorry I said that."

He patted her hand and shook his head, as if dismissing the idea that she needed to apologize again for something he'd already forgiven her for.

Noodle, looked back up at the stars, glad that things were settled. At least, settled between her and Sunmoonstars. She still had to find 2D and Russel, she reminded herself, and she would probably have to deal with Murdoc while doing so, and she doubted it would be pleasant. But at least she knew now that she wouldn't be alone.

She paused in her musings. _Did_ she really know that?

She and the demon had never really discussed what they would do when they finally got to land. Their plans only went as far as escaping. For all she knew, Sunmoonstars was planning to go his own way once they reached land. He wouldn't need her anymore once that happened, after all.

The familiar sense of being used and discarded returned and she sighed. But then Sunmoonstars patted her hand again and she reminded herself that she shouldn't just assume the worst about him. She should probably find out what exactly he had planned before getting upset about it.

"Sunmoonstars?" she asked him hesitantly.

He turned his head in her direction.

"I…well…you know I still want to rescue 2D and Russel, right? Murdoc still has them and I can't leave them like that. Once we get to land, I want to go find them."

Sunmoonstars nodded.

"And…I was wondering…will you help me?"

The demon actually jumped slightly, as if she'd startled him. He raised his head and tilted it sideways, as if baffled. And she supposed he probably was. He had probably simply assumed that they would go their separate ways once they reached land, had been planning on it, and Noodle's question probably struck him as extremely absurd.

She'd known she would regret asking him. And yet, she had asked him anyway. Now, another bone of contention had been put between them, just when they'd finally worked things out. Why had she opened her big-?

Sunmoonstars nodded.

Noodle's mouth dropped open. "You…you….you _will?"_

He nodded again. Eagerly even.

"You really want to help? You really want to…stay with me?" She hardly dared to let herself believe it could be the truth.

He nodded yet again.

She tackle-hugged him once more, giggling as the two of them fell back over onto the deck of the boat. "Thank you!" she cried.

The demon shook his head at her slightly, and reached back to rub the back if his head where it had bonked against one of the pontoons.

Noodle clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh no, I forgot about your poor head. I'm so sorry!"

Sunmoonstars patted her on the shoulder.

Noodle laughed sheepishly. "I think I've probably knocked you around more now that we've made up than I did when I was mad at you."

Sunmoonstars gave her a playful, mock punch on the arm. Then he scooped her up and got to his feet before setting her back down.

Noodle hugged him again. "I suppose we should try and go back to sleep. I don't know how many hours we've got left until dawn, but we might as well make use of them. And you don't have to sleep outside anymore." She patted him on the arm.

He nodded and started for the car.

"I'll be right there," Noodle told him, and then headed for the sail, stepping carefully to avoid treading on any of the Evangelist's….remains. But to her surprise, she found no sign of the strange creature. It was as if the bits it had left behind had evaporated into mist while she wasn't paying attention.

Noodle paused, looking out over the water, wondering if the creature was really gone.

She sighed. She supposed that, if it wasn't, they would find out soon enough. But there was nothing she or any of them could do about it right now. They would simply have to be wary.

Shivering slightly, she quickly re-adjusted the sail so that it was once again taking them in the right direction. Then she grabbed her pack and headed back to the car, glad to put something between herself and the dark, endless expanse of water.

Sunmoonstars was already inside, and, to her surprise, so were the two birds. The three of them were sleeping in a huddle. Noodle almost giggled. She wondered if they too were glad to be enclosed away from the dark water that surrounded them. Or maybe they were just glad to be together. After what they'd all gone through tonight, she didn't blame them.

She lay down beside Sunmoonstars and the demon immediately slipped his arms around her. Noodle closed her eyes in contentment. She too, was glad they were all together. Whatever happened, she knew they would face it together, and that was what was important.

She drifted off to sleep, knowing that this time, there would be no helicopter dreams to trouble her.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Boogieman sighed contentedly as he held the girl…..no….as he held _Noodle…_in his arms. He still could barely believe that she had forgiven him. That she had forgiven him, _and _that she wanted him to stay with her. This was perfect. Now he knew he wouldn't be alone once they reached land. Not only that, but by helping rescue the singer and drummer, he could perhaps make amends for hurting her. And even better, he was sure they would find Murdoc in the process, and then the Boogieman could finally take his soul. Which would allow him to go back to Hell proudly, instead of the pariah he had been terrified of becoming.

Of course…there was always the chance that Noodle wouldn't want him to take the bass player's soul. He had been her friend once, after all, and although she certainly seemed to hate him now, that didn't mean much. After all, she had hated the Boogieman himself a few hours ago, and she'd been able to forgive him. Maybe she could feel that way about Murdoc too.

He paused, then shook his head, deciding that that wasn't too likely. After all, he, the Boogieman, had been sorry about what he'd done. Murdoc wasn't sorry. No, he doubted Noodle would forgive him. There was nothing to worry about. Everything was going to be all right.

He reached up and tugged the necklace back over his head, relived that it came off much more easily than it went on. He slipped the necklace back around Noodle's neck, then lay back down and joined her in slumber.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

**Great, now we've all got sucrose poisoning. My apologies :P**


	20. Battle at Sea

**Battle At Sea**

Noodle was surprised to find that the four of them actually did manage to fall back to sleep after the attack, and were still huddled comfortably in a heap in the car when the day finally dawned, cloudy and cool. She was also relieved to find that any residual tension between herself and any of the others had completely gone away, and all of them seemed to have returned to their usual selves as they went about their morning routine.

Now, breakfast had been eaten, the dishes put away, faces and hands washed, and the four of them were trying to stave off boredom with a game of "Go to the Dump," played with a pack of color-coded Sesame Street cards Noodle had salvaged from the Plastic Beach.

"Got any oranges?" Noodle asked Pelican. She needed just one more orange card to complete a set.

"Nope!" Pelican said cheerfully. "Go to the dump!"

Noodle sighed and picked a new card. Oscar the Grouch surrounded by various green garbage scowled at her from the new card and she sighed again. She didn't have any other green cards. This didn't help at all.

"Do you have any blue cards?" Seagull asked Sunmoonstars.

As Sunmoonstars forked over a card featuring Cookie Monster out at sea on a blue colored boat, Noodle gazed out at the horizon. The sky was slate gray and waves a bit choppy, but she didn't think it looked like rain. At least, not yet. There was a bit of a red tinge in the clouds from the rising sun, however, and she couldn't help but think of the old nautical saying. "Red sky in morning, sailor take warning…" she muttered to herself.

"Take warning for what?" asked Pelican. "And do you have any yellows?"

Noodle sighed and handed him a card showing a smiling Big Bird holding up a pitcher of lemonade and a banana. She couldn't help feeling a bit jealous of the Muppet. She would have killed for either of those things right now, instead of endless meals of dried fish and jellyfish juice. "Storms, I guess," she answered. "Let's hope one isn't coming. I don't really want to find out if Seagull was right about how durable this raft is."

"Nor do I, actually," Seagull said in boredom. "And go to the dump," he added, when Sunmoonstars pointed at him and made the sign for "red."

"Why do you have to worry about storms in the morning?" Pelican wanted to know.

"Uh….I'm not sure exactly. I guess that's when the weather comes through. And do you have any greens?"

"Go to the dump!" Pelican said smugly.

"Pelican, of course you have a green card." Seagull said in exasperation. "I had that card with the missing corner last hand, at it was green!"

"You shouldn't cheat by looking at other people's cards, Seagull," Pelican scolded him.

Seagull rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply, but Noodle cut him off. "Never mind," she said. "Let's just play. It's your turn."

As Seagull asked Sunmoonstars for another blue card and was sent to the dump, Noodle studied her own cards. Other than the orange cards, none of the other cards in her hand had a match. She really wasn't having much luck with this game.

"Got any green cards?" she heard Pelican ask Seagull.

Seagull sighed, handed one over, and then it was Sunmoonstars's turn. He pointed to Pelican and made the sign for "red."

"Go to the dump!" said Pelican gleefully.

Sunmoonstars reached for a new card, hesitated, and then, with an irritated hiss, quickly seized Pelican's cards from him and angrily threw them face-up on the deck, revealing TWO cards featuring Elmo riding a fire engine while eating an apple.

"Wow, I had a red card after all!" Pelican said in utter amazement. "Two red cards! Wow, Mr. Boogieman, how did you do that?"

"I honestly can't tell if he's cheating on purpose or is simply the worst card player who ever lived," Seagull said flatly. "In any event, this hand is ruined."

"Maybe we should make him sit out for the next game," Noodle said, sneaking another glance off into the distance, still checking for storm clouds. And then she froze, the card game forgotten entirely.

There was a ship on the horizon.

"Miss Noodle, will you shuffle the cards for us again?" she heard Pelican ask her.

She didn't answer him, and her silence must have prompted the others to look where she was looking, because they all suddenly went deathly silent. For a moment, anyway.

"We're saved!" Pelican shouted at the top of his lungs. "Look, Seagull, a boat! A boat! Miss Noodle found a boat!"

"I can see that," said Seagull, almost as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. He stared out at the ship for a moment more, then turned and looked at Noodle.

She shook her head and kept her eyes on the ship. "It's too far away to see what kind of ship it is," she told the others. "I don't know if it's someone who will help us or not."

"What do you mean, Miss Noodle?" Pelican wanted to know. "Why wouldn't they help us?"

"It depends on who they are," Noodle told him, still straining to make out the ship's silhouette. "It could be a cruise ship, or a merchant ship, in which case they'd probably help us. Or…"

"Or what?" Pelican asked. He was beginning to sound quite worried.

"Let's just say I've met a lot of unsavory characters out at sea over the last few weeks," Noodle replied. "And I've been left marooned not once, but TWICE by them."

"You think it's pirates then?" Seagull asked her.

"Pirates?" Pleican said in terror. "There are pirates out here?"

She shook her head, trying to ignore Pelican's prattling so she could answer Seagull. "I don't know what they are," she told him. It seems like we're pretty far out at sea for more ordinary types of ships to be just passing by….but then again, we've been sailing for a long time. I don't really know where we are. Maybe we're closer to land than I think. We'll just have to wait until they get a little closer."

"But what do we do if it IS pirates?" Pelican almost shouted.

"Pelican, be quiet!" Noodle snapped. "I'm trying to think and you're giving me a headache!"

"I can relate," she heard Seagull mutter.

"I think we should all get out of sight," Noodle told the others. "We'll get behind the car, and watch from there. That way, if it IS pirates, they might think that this is just some abandoned raft, and ignore it."

"They'll probably want to pillage it anyway," Seagull said, as the four of them ducked behind the car.

"Seagull!" Noodle said, as Pelican's terrified sniveling grew louder. "Stop scaring him!"

Sunmoonstars tapped her on the shoulder and then pointed frantically out at the boat.

Noodle looked back out at the ship and her heart sank. It had finally gotten close enough for her to be able to make out just what kind of ship it was…and it was the absolute last kind she wanted to see.

All faded wood and huge, billowing cloth sails, all tall slender masts and tangled rope rigging, the pirate ship glided toward them at a brisk pace. Noodle didn't even need to see the Jolly Roger flag flying from the tallest mast to recognize the ship for what it was. It was nearly identical to the ship that Russel had sunk back during the battle for Plastic Beach. The ship where she had fought Sunmoonstars, and where the cyborg had-

She paused. She The ship where she had fought Sunmoonstars. Fought him because he had been in charge of the pirates. And this ship looked almost exactly like that one. Could it be a member of the same fleet? Could…could these possibly be _friends _coming toward them?

"Sunmoonstars, are they YOUR pirates?" she asked him, hardly daring to hope.

The demon seemed almost startled by the question, and immediately shook his head vigorously.

Noodle's heart sank once more. Now she knew they were in trouble. Danger was heading right for them and they were trapped on a tiny boat with nowhere to go and nowhere to hide.

"Perhaps they won't see us?" Seagull ventured half-heartedly, although the expression on his face told her he wasn't even going to try and convince himself of the reality of that possibility.

She shook her head, agreeing with his pessimism. "No, I think we're too big of a target to overlook. Besides, the ship's heading right at us. Even if they aren't coming towards us because they've seen us, their course is going to take them right into us. They'll see us."

"Oh no!" Pelican cried, and hid his head under his wing.

"What should we do, Noodle?" Seagull asked her.

Noodle forced herself out of the panic that was rapidly threatening to overtake her. She was still the leader of the little group, and she had to do her best to keep them safe. "We've got to find a better hiding place. Even if they board the raft and plunder it, if we stay hidden, they might assume there's no one on the raft and leave us alone. If they find us though, they'll probably kill us. We can't let that happen."

"But where are we going to hide?" Pelican whimpered. "This raft is so small, and they'll probably search it everywhere!"

"I…I don't know…" Noodle said, still trying not to panic. "Just stay calm, Pelican. Like you did last night. Remember how brave you were? Try to be brave like that again. I'll think of something, all right?"

"Better think fast," Seagull told her, watching the rapidly approaching ship.

She felt a tug on her sleeve and turned to see Sunmoonstars pointing at the side of the boat. She looked a question at him and he pointed to the side of the boat harder.

"Over the side?" she guessed. "You think we should go in the water?"

He nodded.

"That's too risky, Sunmoonstars," she told him. Once we get in the water the boat will keep going, and we'll never catch up to it again. We'll drown for sure. I'd rather take my chances with the pirates."

Sunmoonstars shook his head. He pointed at the water again, then at the deck of the boat. He traced a line with his finger along the deck and ended it by tapping on the part of the deck directly in front of him.

"The deck…something about the deck?" Noodle guessed, not understanding what he was trying to convey.

He shook his head, pointed to the side, dipped his finger down as if to mimic going into the water, and then traced a line along the deck of the boat once more.

"Under the deck?" Noodle guessed this time, and he immediately nodded vigorously.

Noodle paused, considering the idea. There was actually plenty of space down there between the pontoons and the deck, so they wouldn't have to worry about being forced under the water. And there was plenty for them to hang onto. Best of all, the pirates might never think to look there.

"That just might work!" she said. "Good thinking! There'll be room for all of us under there, and the pirates won't even know we're there. Come on!"

Noodle ran to the side of the boat. Doing her best to ignore how cold the choppy gray water looked, she swung her legs over the side and lowered herself into the water, making sure to keep a tight grip on the boat. She was relived to find that the water, although cool, wasn't uncomfortably so. Instead, her main source of worry now became holding on. Now that she was in the water, she could actually feel how fast the little raft was going, with its sails full of wind. The momentum of the boat actually pulled her almost horizontal in the water. She wasn't sure how she was going to hang on the entire time, let alone how she was going to get herself underneath the raft without losing her hold on the wet, slippery pontoons.

There was a splash beside her as Sunmoonstars joined her in the water. Noodle looked over at him and saw that he too, was suddenly fighting the current. Fortunately for him, he seemed to have an easier time hanging on, and when he saw that she was struggling, he reached over and wrapped one of his arms around her waist, pinning her to him in an unshakable grip. As scrawny as his arms were, he must have had incredible muscles. Using his free hand and his feet, he began dragging the two of them underneath the raft and soon they were situated between two pontoons.

The two birds soon joined them underneath the boat, paddling like mad in the swift current. The demon helped them out as well, allowing them to clamp their beaks down on his trailing cape, giving them something to hang onto as they were pulled through the water.

They clung there in silence for quite a while, waiting, and finally, the boat began to bob up and down violently as they must have been caught up in the larger ship's wake. Noodle caught her breath as Sunmoonstars bounced hard against the pontoon and almost lost his grip on the netting, but he thankfully managed to recover and clung to both her and the boat even more tightly. It was as if she had an iron bar around her waist, and she wasn't complaining. She just hoped he could hang on for the entire time they would have to stay down there.

The waves intensified even more and they began to hear shouts over the noise of the wind and waves. The voices sounded excited, and soon they could hear more of them joining in with the others. Then the space the four of them were hiding in darkened, as the shadow of the ship must have fallen over them.

A loud _thunk _above them announced that the first of the pirates had boarded the raft. Soon they could hear many footsteps above them as several pirates walked back and forth, exploring the raft. Footsteps, and voices…

"Any sign of the passengers?" one of the pirates asked.

"Nah, no sign at all," came the gruff voice of another pirate. "It's like they abandoned ship before we got here!"

"Probably best for 'em," laughed another pirate. "Drowning's probably an easier fate compared to what we'd do to 'em!"

"A shame, though," said the first pirate. "I could have used a night's entertainment. Do they have anything worth taking, at least?"

There were several clunking sounds from above, as one of the pirates must have rummaged around inside the trunk of the car. "Looks like they had plenty of food, as least! Dried meat, and some kind of….soup, maybe? It smells like chicken!"

"Well, at least we don't have to go back empty-handed," said the gruff-voiced pirate. "Food's food! Let's start hauling it aboard the ship. The captain'll probably give us first pick of the spoils, too!"

Noodle's heart sank as she heard the sound of the barrels and containers being unloaded from the car above them. Of course, she'd known this would happen, and she could see no way of avoiding it, but still…without supplies, they would only last a day or two on the open sea. Unless they were near land, they were only postponing their deaths by hiding down here. But what was the alternative? They were surely outnumbered, and they were unarmed besides. Fighting would be just as fatal as going without supplies. It would just be quicker.

"Where do you suppose they really went?" she heard one of the pirates grunt as he must have lifted something heavy.

"Don't know," said the first pirate. "The damn raft's as empty as the _Mary Celeste. _Maybe they died and their bodies washed over the side."

"They still have a lot of supplies for people who just keeled over dead," the gruff-voiced pirate said. There was another _thunk _as he set something down. "I wonder what they died of."

"Exposure…sickness…mutiny….weather…could have been washed overboard in a storm, maybe," said a pirate.

"Yeah, or maybe they jumped overboard when they couldn't stand it no more!" one of the pirates laughed. "Landlubbers got no patience for the open sea! Anyway, what does it matter? The important thing is that they don't need all this food anymore. Good thing we're not letting it go to waste. I'm sure they'd thank us!"

There was more laughter and then the sound of more containers being unloaded. Then Noodle heard the uneven footsteps of what she guessed was a peg-legged pirate as he walked around to the other side of the car, no doubt looking for more booty. A moment later, she heard him chuckle.

"Looks like they were in the middle of a card game!" he said to the others.

Noodle's breath caught in her throat. They'd forgotten to put away the cards before they went under the boat!

"Playin' poker, were they?" asked the gruff-voiced pirate.

"Nah, I don't know what they were playing!" said the other pirate. "What sort of game do you play with Muppet cards?"

For some strange reason, she felt Sunmoonstars jump slightly, as though startled, and then he turned his head and gave Pelican a long, speculative look, paused, tilted his head as if considering, gave Pelican another look, and then shook his head as if baffled by something.

Noodle didn't have any time to wonder what he meant by all of that, because she suddenly heard more footsteps overhead, as another pirate joined the other two by the remains of their card game.

"Funny…" said the new pirate, and she heard a sly, nasty edge to his voice, as though he were pondering something sinister. "If they died and washed overboard, how come their cards are still piled up neatly like this? Why are there four separate hands all laid out, right where the players would have been sitting? Why didn't the cards wash overboard along with the bodies, or at least blow around in the wind?"

"You're saying….it's recent?" the gruff-voiced pirate asked?

"It'd say quite recent, given the wind we've been having today," said the sly pirate. "I think…I think they're still here…"

"Still here?" the peg-legged pirate said in astonishment. "How can they still be here? We've searched this entire boat for supplies. If someone was here, we'd have found 'em!"

"I don't know, but I'll bet anything they are," the sly pirate replied. There were slow footsteps above them as he walked along the deck, pondering their whereabouts, most likely.

Noodle's heart began to race. They were going to find them hiding down here. It was obvious, even from the deck, that the boat floated on several pontoons, and that there would be hiding space between them. It was only a matter of time before the sly pirate made the connection. Then, suddenly, they would find pirates climbing down from above onto the pontoons, surrounding them, guns drawn on them from all directions…

Sunmoonstars began to awkwardly shift her from the front of him to his back, sliding down silently into the water and guiding her around behind him until she was hanging onto his shoulders.

"What do you have planned?" she whispered as quietly as possible, while still being loud enough to be heard over the sea and the wind and the pirates.

Still hanging onto the pontoon with one hand, he made a diving motion with his other, then a swimming motion, and then, finally, a jumping motion, followed by slapping his hand down softly on the pontoon.

"You want to jump onto the boat?" she guessed. An attack. That was likely what he meant. He wanted to dive down, then leap onto the deck and surprise the pirates.

He nodded.

She shook her head slightly, knowing that an attack would probably only send them out in a blaze of glory instead of as the pirates' evening "entertainment." They were surely far outnumbered. It wasn't like last night's battle against the Evangelist, where there had been only a single adversary, or even the battle against Sunmoonstars' pirates earlier, when she'd had the benefit of weapons and a much larger space to fight in and backup from a cyborg and a giant and a magical fishbowl monster. This was an unarmed, close quarter battle against far superior numbers. They didn't have a chance.

Still….what was the alternative? Wait to get captured? Wait until the pirates found them, and then start fighting, when they didn't even have the element of surprise on their hands? All of the options available to them were lousy, but this one was the only one that gave them a minuscule chance.

"All right," she whispered to the demon, suddenly fighting the urge to hug him goodbye. "I suppose it's better than just lying down and dying. Not by much, but…" She shook her head again and turned to the birds. "We're going to go out fighting. You two should probably stay under here, if you can. If you can't, then fly away and hope for the best. I doubt there's really anything you can do to help us, and if you go up there, the pirates will probably shoot you for the fun of it."

"But Miss Noodle!" Pelican protested, letting go of Sunmoonstars's cape so he could talk. Noodle was surprised to see that he didn't get caught up in the current, but instead stayed where he was. If she had to venture a guess, she would say it was perhaps because the pirates had tied up or even destroyed the sail, in order to keep the little raft in place while they pillaged it.

"Don't argue," Noodle whispered to him. "And keep your voice down. I want us to be able to surprise them.

"Noodle…" Seagull started to say, but she cut him off.

"We're going," she said, in a voice that forbade argument. "Whatever happens…try to stay alive. I…I think I could be satisfied knowing I at least managed to save you two." She swallowed hard, suddenly trying to get rid of a pesky lump in her throat. They had to go now, before she lost her composure. And her nerve. "Okay, Sunmoonstars, let's go."

She took a huge breath and wrapped her arms around the demon, clinging to him for dear life. No sooner had she done that than the world turned upside down and she was submerged in darkness as Sunmoonstars dove below the raft.

She kept her eyes closed as the water rushed past her face, as the monster pulled himself downward and forward, clearing the raft and then, abruptly, made a vertical U-turn in the water and headed for the surface.

Her surroundings began to lighten as they rushed upward and then they broke through the surface and were leaping upward, like a dolphin at a Sea World show, and she opened her eyes to find them high above the raft, falling fast toward the deck and the eight pirates who were standing on it. Eight pirates who were only now reacting to the two of them bursting from the water and falling toward them.

Sunmoonstars landed heavily on the peg-legged pirate, just as the pirate reached for his gun, and Noodle immediately leapt from the demon's back at the nearest pirate, a heavyset fellow with a long, scraggly gray beard. He just stood there, apparently still shocked by her sudden appearance, and she didn't give him a chance to recover. She wrapped both her arms around his neck and twisted. Hard.

Even as she heard a _crack _and felt the pirate go down, she was rushing toward the next one, a burly man whose arms were covered in tattoos. He had managed to get his gun drawn, but Noodle threw herself onto the deck just as the gun went off, the shot missing her by a mile. A second later, she connected with his legs and bowled him over in a heap. A well-placed blow crushed his trachea and she lunged for his gun as he dropped it to clutch uselessly at his throat. She heard footsteps running toward her and she whirled around and fired, hitting the pirate who had been running toward her, sword drawn, right in the chest.

She heard an angry shout off to her right and she turned to see a pirate with his gun aimed at her. Before she could react, another pirate flew through the air and collided with him, knocking both of them over the side.

She had a moment to nod her thanks at Sunmoonstars, who had thrown the pirate, before he whirled around and seized a pirate who had been just about to hit him over the head with a metal pole. The pole clattered to the deck as Sunmoonstars tore the pirate's throat out with a single swipe of his claws.

The demon tossed the now spurting corpse at another attacker, as Noodle turned around and fired twice at three more pirates behind her. One shot missed and the other blew off a pirate's arm. Then her gun made a _click_ noise and she knew wit was empty. Thinking fast, she hurled it at the head of a pirate who was aiming at her, hitting him right in the face and knocking him off his feet. Then she threw herself down on the deck as the third pirate fired at her. She felt the bullet whiz by her just inches from her head.

A huge weight hit her from behind, flattening her against the deck and knocking the wind from her. She pushed against the deck with all her strength, trying to get enough force to flip whoever it was off her back so she could get up, but then two more pirates were at her side and were pinning her arms down as well.

"Got her!" came the sly-voiced pirate, who turned out to be the one sitting on top of her. "Quick, tie her up.

More laughing pirates surrounded her, trying her ankles together and her hands behind her back. The sly-voiced pirate, a one-eyed man in a torn blue sailor shirt, grinned at her as she was tied up, his eyes glittering with a twinkle that she was sure she didn't like. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sunmoonstars lying on the deck as well, trussed up the way she was with a beaming pirate standing over him, one foot on the demon's back, as if the pirate were a big game hunter posing over his latest kill. More pirates were gathered around him, expressing admiration at his prowess. Noodle began to wonder just how many pirates there were in all, since there were now many more on the raft than had been there when they had first come out of the water. She supposed they had boarded the raft during the battle to help out their crewmates.

A set of loud, heavy footsteps came toward her and she was pulled to her feet, two pirates holding her upright by her arms. She found herself face to face with a huge, burly man with a scraggly red beard and a black hat perched atop his head. He had to be the captain of the ship.

"Put up quite a fight, didn't you, little lady?" he said with a grin, reaching out to caress her cheek. "You and your ugly boyfriend over there cost me twelve crewmen. Now, normally, I'd be right livid with you for doing something like that," he went on, shaking a sausage-like finger in her face. "But given that you're a lady, I'm inclined to be merciful. So I'll make a deal with you. You can work off your debt tonight. And it's a debt you owe all of us, so you'll have to make amends with each man on board." His grin widened, showing a mouth full of crooked yellow teeth. "How does that sound, boys?" he said, raising his voice to address the rest of the pirates, who had gathered behind him.

Their response was raucous cheering and laughter.

The captain winked at her. "It sounds like they think it's a tough deal, but a fair one. So let's get you onboard, get you situated, and-"

He was interrupted by a furious hissing and snarling, and Noodle heard several shouts from her right. She turned her head to see that Sunmoonstars was flailing frantically against his captors, and four pirates were struggling to hold him down.

"Sounds like your boyfriend doesn't like the idea much," the captain said with a laugh. "Too bad for him he doesn't get to cast his vote in the matter. Though I can certainly sympathize with how protective he is. How does someone like that get his hands on someone like you, anyway? Were the pickings that slim where you come from?"

"Somehow I doubt you'll be a step up," she spat at him, blinking back angry tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes.

"Ah, so she does have a bit of fight left in her!" the captain said with delight. "Wonderful! I love a feisty girl, don't you boys?"

There was more laughter from the pirates and more snarling from Sunmoonstars. One of the pirates yelped in pain and brought his fist down on the side of the demon's head in response. Sunmoonstars grunted as his head smacked hard against the deck, but he continued to struggle.

"Captain, can we kill this creepy bastard?" one of the pirates holding the demon down asked. "We don't need him for anything, and he's a pain to babysit!"

"No!" Noodle cried, trying to pull away from the two pirates who were holding her, but, of course, her struggles were just as useless as Sunmoonstars's had been. "Don't hurt him!"

The captain shook his head. "You heard the lady. Ugly gets to keep his life…at least for a little while longer. After all, I've always been a practical man. I don't like to let resources go to waste. That includes live prisoners. We'll get an evening's entertainment out of him, at least. In fact, maybe it can be a double feature! He'll be the entertainment for early this evening, and the little miss will be for…after hours."

"All right, but can we at least have some more rope?" the same pirate asked. "He's torn the ropes around his wrists ragged! The fucker's awfully strong for something that looks that scrawny!"

The Captain nodded and then called out "Klaus!" Immediately, a short pirate with a dark mustache pushed through the crowd, a coil of rope looped around one arm.

"Hold him upright so I can get at his wrists easier," Klaus said, and the two pirates lifted Sunmoonstars to his feet.

Klaus jumped back with a yelp. "It's the Boogieman!"

The captain let out a booming laugh. "Boogieman? I know he's ugly and he has some strange taste in clothes, but I think calling him the 'Boogieman' is taking things a bit too far, Klaus!"

Klaus wasn't laughing though. In fact, he had turned as white as a sheet. "No Captain," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "He's the one those pilots told me about! You know, the survivors from the battle on that island west of here. I'd recognize their description of that thing anywhere. It's the monster they told me about. The one who took control of Long John Hookbeard's ship!"

"Took control?" another pirate asked, eyes wide with alarm. "How?"

"Some sort of black smoke!" Klaus replied. "You mark my words, that thing isn't of this world! He'll take control of us and he won't have to lift a finger to do it!" Klaus turned to the captain. "Get rid of him, Captain. Get rid of him before he takes all of our souls!"

"Enough with the dramatics, Klaus," the Captain said, but he had lost his jovial demeanor and the look in his eyes showed he was at least considering taking Klaus's claims seriously. "I remember the tale you told us." He was silent for a moment, giving Sunmoonstars a speculative look. "I suppose there's no sense in chancing it," he said finally, nodding to the sly-voiced pirate. "I may be a practical man, but I'm also a superstitious one. We'll have to forgo our evening entertainment. At least," he looked back at Noodle with a grin, "our early-evening entertainment, anyway." He nodded to the sly-voiced pirate again. "Kill the ugly thing."

"NO!" Noodle screamed, as the sly-voiced pirate drew his gun. "He can't do that anymore! Stop it! Please, please, stop!" She struggled uselessly once more, and the captain turned and cuffed her hard across the mouth. "No!" she shouted again, ignoring the blood now trickling down her chin. "Sunmoonstars!" she cried, as the sly pirate took aim at him.

He was suddenly drenched by a torrent of water from above. He shouted in surprise as the cold seawater soaked him, and his shot went wild.

Noodle looked up to see Pelican swoop past, high above them. Water still dripped from his open beak. "Don't you hurt my friends!" he shouted down at the pirates.

The sly pirate snarled and took aim at the flying pelican. Noodle cried out in dismay as he fired and a puff of gray feathers drifted downward. A second later she heard Pelican hit the water with a _splash!_

"Damn it, I just winged the oversized turkey!" the sly pirate growled, raising his gun and aiming out at the water.

There was a screech from his right and then Seagull flew at him at full speed. He crashed into the pirate's face and plunged his beak into his remaining eye.

The now blind pirate screamed in agony and dropped his gun to grope blindly for his attacker. Seagull, however, wasn't letting go. With a savage jerk of his head, he plucked the eye from its socket, just as the eyeless pirate's hands wrapped themselves around his neck.

Noodle opened her mouth to scream again, but yelped in surprise instead, when a huge wave suddenly hit the boat, knocking everyone off their feet.

She hit the deck hard, and so did both of her captors. The impact jarred their hands loose from her, and, although Noodle could hardly believe her luck, she knew instantly that she had better not waste it.

Twisting like a snake, she jerked around and, with her feet, snatched the sword from the belt of the pirate to the right of her. With another jerk, she flung the sword so that it was lying beside her, then drew her bound wrists against the blade. The rope was severed instantly, and she seized the sword in her now free hand and quickly cut the ropes binding her feet as well.

"Give me that!" snarled the sword's former owner, lunging for her.

She re-sheathed the sword in his chest before lunging to her feet and taking a swipe at the eyeless pirate, who was still trying to free his face from Seagull's grip. He released the bird with a scream and went down like a ton of bricks.

She heard a gun go off behind her and dodged to the right. The window of the car exploded in a spray of safety glass. Then another wave hit the boat, and she heard the pirates shouting in confusion.

A shadow suddenly fell over them all.

She looked up and saw a huge gun rising out of the water.

And for a moment, everyone, pirates and Noodle's crew alike, could only gape at the unexpected sight. But a moment was all that was needed.

The gun went off, deafening them all, and the side of the pirate ship exploded in a spray of wood chips.

"We're under attack!" a pirate screamed.

"It's the military!" shouted another.

"Let's get-" shouted Klaus, but he was drowned out by the gun as it fired again.

More sawdust rained down on them as the ship gained another hole. "Retreat!" shouted the captain, and pirates began piling back aboard the now damaged ship, climbing up the side or up ropes that had been strung between the ship and the raft, prisoners and loot now forgotten.

The gun manage to get off one more shot before the pirate ship set sail toward the west at full speed, smoke trailing from three unsightly holes.

Noodle expected the gun's owner to go after them, so she was surprised to see it stay where it was. Then the raft began to rise upward as whatever the gun was attached to began to surface…and Noodle wasn't surprised to find their little raft now perched atop the hull of a submarine.

"Miss Noodle, what happened?" Pelican shouted as he came waddling up to her. She was relieved to find that, although one of his wings was dragging at his side, it only appeared to be missing the tips of some flight feathers.

"I don't know," she told him, staring at the sub. "It looks like we've got more company!"

Sunmoonstars and Seagull were soon at her side as well, and she was glad to see that neither of them looked seriously either, although Sunmoonstars's wrists were bloody from struggling against his bonds. The four of them drew close together, staring at the sub and waiting to see what they were in for next.

The sub finished rising, and there was silence for a moment. Then, a series of clanks came from inside as someone must have climbed the ladder up to the hatch. Another, louder clunk marked the sound of the latching mechanism being turned, and then the door on top opened. Noodle tightened her grip on her sword.

And then it fell from her hand with a clatter as a familiar figure emerged from the submarine. A figure she had ached to see ever since this ordeal had begun. A figure that, in her darkest moments, she had feared she would never see again. A figure that she should have known would never ever stop searching for her.

"We gotta stop meeting like this, Baby Girl," said Russel with a grin.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**Wow…it's hard to believe I've been working on this story for a year now. I think this is a good stopping point for now, because I'm putting this story on hiatus for a while. Just 'cause I'm tired of it and would like to concentrate on some of my other fanfics. I'll come back to it eventually though…I just need a little break for now.**

**Thanks again to all who have read and reviewed! It really has made me happy to know that people have enjoyed something I've put so much work into.**


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